


Soul Bound

by mimia108



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bad Ron Weasley, Eventual Romance, F/M, Friendship/Love, Good Lucius Malfoy, Good Severus Snape, Mention of Torture/Rape/Death, Minor Character Death, Multi, No Horcruxes, Not Canon Compliant, Older Men/Younger Woman, Quidditch, Remus Lupin Lives, Severus Snape Lives, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin are friends, Soul Bond, Voldemart dies in first war and doesn't come back, soul mates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-11
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2018-10-01 05:56:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 130,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10182215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mimia108/pseuds/mimia108
Summary: Every female in Hermione Granger's family for over 700 years have been soul bound to two men.  Find out what happens when Hermione realizes that her soul mates are none other than Professors Severus Snape and Remus Lupin.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Desert_Sea](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desert_Sea/gifts).



> This story has been lurking in my head and so I decided to write it. I am not JK Rowling and I make no money from my writing but I do like to play around with her characters on a regular basis. 
> 
> Although Hermione will realize early on that Severus and Remus are her soul mates nothing major will happen between them until she is of age at 17 and their soul marks come in.
> 
> To DS - girl you are my inspiration and so again I must gift this one to you! Your friendship has helped me through some of my darkest hours! Thank you for being you :)

It is said that one moment in time can change ones life forever.  That when all seems lost that hope can be found if one is willing to look for it. For Severus and Remus that day was September 19, 1979.  That was the day that one ~ Hermione Jean Granger was born to Robin, Roland and Jean Granger.  They would however not realize it until a time much later in their futures.  Let's begin our adventure to true love starting at this point in time.

 

_September 19, 1979 - 3:26 am_

_Location: Worthing Hospital - Worthing_

 

Mrs. Jean Granger was pushing through her latest contraction with the support of her husbands, Robin and Roland.  Even with having done this seven times before it never seems to prepared them as each time leads to a new experience that is much different then the time before.  Jean had already been in hard labor for several hours and was reaching her breaking point.

"I thought they said it gets easier with each child.  I think this is the worse labor yet!"  Jean yelled as another contraction hit.

"Hang in there it won't be much longer - she's almost here" Robin reassured her.

"That's what you said a half hour ago"  Jean was not impressed and was slowly losing what ever small amount of patience she had left.  She just wanted this to be over and done with so they could enjoy their new baby girl.  

Robin and Roland just looked at her knowing at this point it was quite pointless to argue and silently waved the surrender flag between them.

They thought they had been done with baby #7 - Kathleen born 10 years ago in June.  So imagine the shock they all had when they learned that Jean was indeed pregnant and expecting baby #8.  They had long ago given up trying to predict what their soul bond would do.  Just when they thought that it would do one thing it did something totally opposite.  Ah the life of the soul bonded mate.  Robin and Roland not in their wildest dreams had pictured this kind of life but neither of them would have trade it for anything.  They both had grown up with Jean and had known there was something very special about her from an early age.  It wasn't until they were a little older that they realized why they had always been close.

 Jean had sat them down and explained to them when they were 16 that everyone in her family on her mother's side had a soul bond with two mates.  They had always wondered about that as all of Jean's siblings (and there were many) all had two husbands or in the case of her brothers each shared a wife with their best friend.  At first they thought it was strange but as Jean continued to explain what the bond was both boys were intrigue with the bond and then how it was formed.  They learned that for the last 700 recorded years everyone in Jean's family had two spouses.  To their further amazement they learned that in all those years that the soul bond had never been wrong.  The bond choose the mates that would be a perfect fit - Robin and Roland couldn't have agreed more when Jean turned 17 and their soul marks had come in.  For them Jean was the perfect girl and they had often thought how they would feel if Jean had to choose between them. The thought of both of them not being able to love her had tortured their hearts. Knowing now that Jean would have two husbands thus allowing each of them to be her mate soothe their souls. They had never been so sure of anything as they knew that they were her soul mates. So when their soul marks came in they were both so overjoyed knowing that they would be able to love her for all eternity. The soul marks appeared on their left wrists and it sealed their fates to be forever intertwined as one.  

According to custom they were to be married only a few days after Jean turned 18.  It was a bit of a trying time for all of them as the closer they got to Jean's 18th birthday the stronger the bond had become as it called for the three to become one and seal the bond to each other completely.  They made it four days after her birthday and on a beautiful summer day they sealed their souls in a forever bond and had never looked back.  Not to say that they didn't have problems that needed to be dealt with but because of the deep bond that the three of them shared disagreements or misunderstandings didn't have a chance to stay unresolved for long. They had always been thankful for that as their deep love for Jean would not have allowed it.  The first set of babies had come 9 months later - twins Michael and Mataline and they thought life was truly a blessing and it was.  It is a common known fact in Jean's family that once the consummation of the bond is complete that twins are conceived at the completion of the bonding.   Life had blessed the Granger family and over the last 20 years they would be blessed with 6 more children with this one taking her good old sweet time to meet the world.

Their thoughts were interrupted by the nurse telling Jean to push because she could see the head and it was time.  They had all of 36 seconds before Miss Hermione Jean Granger made her debut into this world.  Mum and dads were hypnotized by this small bundle of love with a full head of brown hair and a rather good set of lungs if one could go by the way that she was screaming.  Yes ~ for the Granger family life was truly blessed.  

As with all their children at the moment that Hermione made her way into the world - two small soul "sparks" took off.  The first time it had happened they didn't understand what it was but Jean's mum - Martha had explained that when a child is born the two "sparks" leave to search and find its soul mates.  It was a beautiful moment to watch as a small piece of Hermione's soul divided into the two pieces that would search out and find the two boys that were destined to be her soul mates.  As Jean rested quietly and all of them enjoyed the peaceful moment with baby Hermione her fathers both turned to look out the window and wondered just who would the 'sparks' choose to be worthy of their precious daughter.

 

_At Spinner's End in Cokeworth_

 

Severus Snape and his best friend Remus Lupin (both 19) had retired to their bedrooms to sleep after a very long day.  The war against Lord Voldemort was gaining steam and it would take all the strength they and the others had to conqueror this great evil that was attempting to take over their world.  As the boys slept - the tiny blue sparks of Hermione's soul came to hover over both boys as if to judge them worthy of this great gift.  After a brief moment both sparks descended into the boys very souls changing their destinies forever and setting them on a path that would in time lead them to Hermione and form a bond so powerful it would change the world as they knew it.


	2. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time will fluctuate in the beginning focusing mostly on Severus and Remus as Hermione is a baby and not much will be happening with her until she reaches the age of 4. There will also be background into Hermione's family and the soul bond.

 

_Early morning at Spinner's End ~ September 19, 1979_

 

Remus Lupin wandered into the kitchen rubbing his eyes attempting to get the sleep out of them.  He was thinking about what had happened around 3:30 in the morning.  He had briefly awaken to a crushing pain in his chest only to be completely overcome with a presence of peace that was so deep that before he could even contemplate what was happening to him he drifted back in to a peaceful sleep.  As he was falling asleep he saw the vision of a baby girl with brown hair.  He stopped at the coffee maker and started it knowing that he needed caffeine before he thought anymore on what had happened.  Running his fingers through his sandy brown hair he opened the refrigerator and began taking the items out to make breakfast.  He decided on scrambled eggs, home fries and bacon.  Everything went better with bacon.  Making a heavy sigh he began to make breakfast as Severus would be down soon and he knew there would be no conversation until Severus had coffee and food in his belly. Remus chuckled to himself as he recalled one too many times that Severus had managed to hit him with a hex when he attempted to talk to him before he had a cup or three of coffee in him.  Shaking his head in an effort to clear his thoughts Remus began making breakfast knowing that it wouldn't cook itself.

Meanwhile upstairs Severus stretch out and sat up rubbing his hands through his long black hair and then lowered his right hand over his heart. What the hell was that sharp pain that had hit his chest at 3:30 this morning?  He had originally thought that someone had hexed him as he slept.   Then just as quickly as it had started it was gone and an overwhelming sense of peace had invaded his body leaving him with a deep feeling of contentment that if he was honest he had never felt peace like that before.  The strangest thing about what had happen was just before sleep claimed him again he saw a vision of a baby girl with brown hair.  His thoughts had him wondering if Remus had heard anything even with him being on the other side of the house.  He would just have to ask him after he had some coffee. Shaking his head he stood up and headed for the shower thinking it was going to be a very long day and he needed coffee...lots and lots of coffee.  

As Severus entered the kitchen Remus handed him a cup of coffee with a 'Good Morning' and Severus responded with a muffled "morning" and headed over to set the table for breakfast.  Once the food was done they sat down to eat in silence. When Severus was half way through his second cup of coffee Remus decided it was safe to breach the subject he needed to get off his chest.

"Sooo...Did you notice anything strange happen this morning say around..."

"3:30" - Severus answered.

"Yes" Remus replied.  "I had something happen that was...well quite bizarre and I don't really know how to describe it but it left me out of sorts and I have no idea what it was and" 

"Remus - quit your damn prattling!  Just tell me what happen and we'll see if it is the same thing that happen to me!!  Keep it simple, wolf" Severus sneered

Having been the best of friends since they were 11 - Severus knew that when Remus started to ramble that the only way to get him back on center was to get him to refocus.  It's a game that they had played for years and it was one of the reasons they got along so well. Remus' thoughts would roam and it would be Severus' job to bring him back to task.  It worked well when they were at school and Severus was sure it would continue into whatever profession they choose to do after defeating the oh so arrogant Voldemort - "He who is being a major pain in everyone's arse" at the moment.   

"Okay - well at 3:30 this morning I woke up to a crushing pain in my chest...but then it stopped almost as soon as it had started and then I felt this..."

"Incredible - overwhelming - amazing sense of peace." Severus supplied while gripping his coffee mug tighter.

"Yes...and then as I was falling back to sleep I saw..."  Remus sighed

"A vision of a baby girl with brown hair"  Severus looked up to see Remus staring at him with his mouth wide open in shock.

Remus shook his head and looking at Severus said, "You had the same thing happen to you - didn't you?"

It was Severus' turn to simply answer, "Yes"

"What do you think it means?" Remus asked

Severus let out a heavy sigh "I wish I knew but even I don't have any clue as to what might have happened.  My first thought was that someone had hexed me but you are the only one here and there is no way anyone can get past the wards on this house.  So it had to be something else.  I know one thing though...I've never in my whole life felt that kind of peace.  If I were to wager a guess I would have to say that something extremely special happened to us last night and when the time is right we'll know actually what it was."

Remus nodded his head in agreement and added "I think for the time being with the way things are going we need to keep this to ourselves."

"I totally agree with you on that one" Severus answered

Both boys sat there quietly thinking to themselves on the event that happen in the early hours of the morning.  It would definitely not be good if anyone but them knew that something significant had happened to them.  It was beginning to get harder and harder to know who they could trust and who they couldn't.  They had begun to question even Dumbledore with his do it for the "greater good".  No things weren't looking good and they both knew that they could only really trust each other.  

After about 10 minutes Remus spoke, "Have you made a decision about what Dumbledore has asked you to do?"

Severus ran his fingers through his hair and answered, "No...I was leaning toward doing it until last night happened.  Now all I can think about is what if doing what he's asked me to do will void whatever happened to us last night?  I want to feel that way again...I want to know what it is that happen to us and I'm concerned that if I become his spy and take the dark mark that it will somehow effect whatever this was.  Could that baby girl with the brown hair be ours in some way?  I just don't know if it is worth the price he wants me to pay.  Even if it comes out that I was on the side of light the whole time there will still be people that won't believe it no matter what they are told.  I don't want to live the rest of my life with that kind of guilt.  It has the potential to crush the heart of my soul and that's not something I'm willing to do now.  Not even for Albus' alleged quote on quote - 'greater good'!  It is really weighing heavily on me.  I honestly believe that I can't do it now knowing that something special has happened to us.  Albus will be pissed but I really don't care at this point.  Let him find another fucking scapegoat to do his dirty work.  I will not be his puppet on a string any longer."

Remus added, "I think his price is too high for all of us.  He wants me to go undercover and into the werewolf packs to persuade them to join our side.  He doesn't realize what he's asking.  It could be a suicide mission just for his 'greater good'.  Something isn't right but I can't put my finger on it.  I know he's ultra paranoid now that he's found out there is a mole among us but he isn't thinking logically.  If you are found out it won't just be a simple Avada Kedavra to end your life - Voldemort will torture you and make you an example for all to see.  That is something I don't want to see happen to you, my friend.  It is too risky - there must be another way."

"I agree." Severus concur. "Something isn't right and it's rotten as hell but we are going to have to play along for just a little bit longer.  I'll watch your back and you watch mine.  I think we need to do some spying on our own and see if we can figure out who this mole is.  Once we can determine who it is we can eliminate the problem and move forward.  We have that meeting with the Order at Hogwarts this afternoon, I say we go early and head to the library and see if we can find out anything about what happened to us.  It was in our chest so maybe it has to do with our heart."

Remus nodded and agreed, "When in doubt - go to the library!!  Wait a minute ~ I just thought of something...What if it isn't about the heart but the soul?"

"A soul bond??" asked Severus

"Yes..." replied Remus

"Interesting - you may just have something there, Remus.  At least we have a place to start.  Let's get ready and go.  Those books aren't going to read themselves!"  Severus laughed and got up to do up the dishes so they could be on their way.  A soul bond...indeed!


	3. Soul Reading - In the Library

 

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Scotland_

**_In the Library_ **

 

After 3 hours, Severus and Remus had exhausted every book in the library that had anything to say about Soul Bonds. There just wasn't that much information and unknown to them when they had started there were different kinds of bonds. There were some that weren't life threatening if they were never sealed, ones that were life threatening for both wife and husband or one and not the other, ones that had to be sealed a certain way, ones that had a time limit on them.  They had found nothing yet that described what had happened to them.  Frustration was being to show on both boys.

Severus slammed his book shut and stood up and began to pace back and forth.  "So...what do we know that could be helpful to us?"

"Nothing...really"  Remus said.  "I mean I still think it's a soul bond but we just haven't found enough information to confirm what kind of bond it is.  It could be a deep bonding kind - one where not only would not sealing it hurt us but it would also hurt the one we were bonded to.  There must be something that we are missing ~ some small something to help us along."  

"Okay so let's look at what we know happened and then we can speculate on it." Severus replied.  "So both of us felt the sharp pain in our chest and then we felt the overwhelming peace and then we saw a vision of the baby girl with brown hair."

"Yes" Remus simply said.  

Severus thought for a minute before replying "Do you feel any different?  Do you notice something that maybe wasn't there before?"

"That's it!!!" Remus exclaimed while jumping up.  "I couldn't put my finger on it but something is different.  Why didn't I notice this before?  This is big...really really big.  It's a game changer.  I should have noticed this..."

"Remus!! Focus...please."  Severus pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to reel in the rambling man.  "Please tell me that you aren't going to make me play charades again, are you?" 

Remus sat back down and raised his eyes so he was looking straight at Severus and said with a grin on his face, "The wolf is at peace"

"What?!!?  Are you sure?  The wolf has never been at peace and definitely not this close to the full moon"  Severus asked full of concern.

"Yes...Severus - I am completely sure and that's why I know that there is a difference.  You are correct, the wolf and I are never at peace during the days before the full moon.  Severus, we've been friends for a long time now and you have been with me for every change over the last 5 years, ever since you became an animagus so I didn't have to be alone during the full moon.  The wolf is at peace, my friend, and it is actually quite amazing."

Severus starred at his best friend in disbelief.  This **was**  very serious because Remus and the wolf were always at odds with each other and never more so than right before the full moon which was 3 days from now.  Severus just shook his head and let out a sigh, "Well...you're right about one thing."

"And what is that" asked Remus

With a huge smile on his face, Severus acknowledged, "It is definitely a game changer!"  Both boys let out a hearty laugh, forgetting that they were still in the library.

At that moment, Madam Pince came over to find out what was so funny that had her boys laughing so.  Severus and Remus had always been her favorites, that was one of the reasons why she always let them in the library even though they were no longer students.  They had been her biggest helpers when they had been students, always coming around to see if she needed help with anything. Seeing as neither boy played Quidditch and they had no desire to watch it either, both boys would show up on a Saturday during game time and do whatever tasks she needed done.  Their reward, when they were finished, was to be able to look inside the Restricted Section.  Her only rule was that they had to behave and with the more powerful books, they needed to ask before touching.  They had spent hours in the Restricted room reading all kinds of different books. She knew that the knowledge they had gleaned from the books was now helping them devise a plan to defeat Lord Voldemort.  No one but she knew that the boys had had access to those books.  It was a nice little secret between the three of them and she planned to keep it that way for the foreseeable future. She knew that they also liked having an in with the librarian and that it was a privilege that had never been abused and she couldn't see them abusing that privilege anytime in the near future. Both boys had suffered with abusive home lives throughout their schooling.  With no children of her own, she basically had adopted both boys.  Making sure they were taken care of and had what they both needed.  She had grown to love the both of them dearly.  Severus and Remus had grown to love her, too.  They often called her mum when no one was around and they still came to see her every Sunday afternoon for dinner.  

"What has my favorite boys laughing so hard and in my library at that?"  Madam Pince said with a sly smile on her face.

"Oh...well...um...we were just talking about life and game changers and...well...soul bonds"  Remus whispered the last part quietly so Madam Pince almost miss it, but she didn't.

"Soul Bonds, huh...and why would you be looking into soul bonds?  Would you both care to enlighten an older lady?"  she was wearing her "you better tell me what's going on" smirk.

Both boys smiled at her and proceed to tell her all about what had happened in the wee hours of the morning.  Madam Pince listened intently, asking only a few questions.  When the boys were finished, she took a few minutes to think over what they had told her.  Looking at Remus, she agreed that the wolf being at peace was a big thing especially this close to the full moon.  

Then still thinking she turned to Severus and asked, "What about you, Severus?  Do you notice anything different within you?  If the wolf is at peace with Remus, is there something that is being triggered by a sense of peace in you?"

Severus thought about it for a few minutes and then slowly a smile began to form and looking at both of them, he said, "I have peace about " **not** " being Dumbledore's spy.  This morning at breakfast we were discussing what I was going to do.  My stomach was in knots just thinking about it.  I had no peace about it.  I was feeling very agitated about the whole thing.  I had thought before that - that I should do it.  It just didn't feel right though, but I was pressing it all down thinking that I had to do it for Dumbledore's "greater good". Then this morning happened and the peace that I had felt right after was so consuming and I knew that I wanted to feel that peace again. So, after Remus and I were done talking, as I was doing the dishes I reached my decision."

Remus was curious now and gently asked, "What was your decision?"

Again Severus smiled at his best friend, "I'm going to tell him, NO.  Once I made the decision not to do it, I felt this peace come over me.  It wasn't as strong as it was at 3:30 this morning, but it's there.  I can feel it.  Almost like it is directing my decision.  I still feel it even now.  I know it's there."

"Well, I'd say you boys had quite the little adventure this morning.  Now...why do you think it's a soul bond?"

Remus replied, "Well, the pain was in our chest.  Severus thought maybe it had to do with the heart, but then this thought just popped in my head that made the suggestion that we needed to look at the soul.  That sounds crazy doesn't it?"  

"Not at all, my dear Remus.  There are many different types of soul bonds.  Yours seems to have something to do with feelings of peace.  If it is a soul bond, it will continue to revel itself in time.  You both will need to be patient.  I know that's not easy...especially for you two.  If there is a connection between you and the baby girl you saw then it will still be many years before she will come to you. Patience will be the key, dear boys.  You will know at the right time and all will be reveled.  Even though it won't be easy it may be the best thing for now.  You both will be fighting in a war soon to rid us of a most despicable evil man.  You will need to focus on what you will need to do to defeat him.  After he has been defeated then you will have more time to research this bond.  Be strong my dear ones.  When the time is right the answers you seek with come.  Trust in that.  In the meantime, I will search and see what I can find.  There may be some books on soul bonds in the restrictive section. I'll see what other books are out there and get them for you.  You keep your focus on Voldemort and I will do the research for you on soul bonds.  Will you both allow me to do this for you?"

Both boys nodded yes to her.  "Very Good.  Now, when you are done with your meeting come back and see me and we'll have a cuppa tea."  

Both boys agreed and walking over gave her a big hug and a kiss on her cheek.  "Yes...mum!"  They both said as she was walking away.

Severus and Remus went about putting the books back that they had been looking at.  It wouldn't do for someone to catch them with them.  It would make for an incredibly awkward conversation that they weren't willing to have with anyone but their surrogate mum at this point.

Sitting back down at the table, Remus looked at Severus and said, "So...you are going to tell Dumbledore...no.  Do you have a backup plan encase he tries to force you?"

Severus gave Remus that all knowing smirk that immediately told him that Severus had an ace up his sleeve.  "Yes, I do and he should be here any minute now."

"Well...Good Afternoon Gentlemen" came the well known voice.

Severus and Remus both turned to look up at the one and only....Lucius Malfoy 

 


	4. Lucius Malfoy - Takes one for the Team

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a little warning ~ I don't like Lily Evans Potter. I think anyone that claims to be a friend but can't find it in their heart to forgive someone for slipping up when they were in a desperate situation is not worthy of the title friend. For this story she will not be shone in a good light, in fact she will border on being a total pain in the butt. If you like her...sorry but not sorry.

Lucius Malfoy stood before them in all his glory.  Long flowing white hair, elegant robes, and a grin a mile long.  

Severus stood and reached out to shake Lucius hand while slapping him on the back.  "Lucius it is so good to see you, my friend.  It's been too long"  Remus reached over across the table and shook Lucius' hand, greeting the man who had been mentor to them when they first arrived at Hogwarts.  Lucius had taken both boys under his wing when they were 1st years and trying to figure everything out.  Even then it didn't matter to either boy that they were in rival houses.  As long as there was respect between the boys, it had not mattered at all to Lucius or Severus that Remus had been sorted into Gryffindor.  Remus bucked the system and more than once it had been agreed between them that they thought the hat had gotten it wrong and placed Remus in the wrong house.  Remus, while he definitely had Gryffindor traits, was also a total Slytherin at heart. The boys had become fast friends even with Lucius being older than both of them.  Lucius taught them many things about pure-blood culture so that they didn't inadvertently dishonor someone and showed them all the in and outs of living at Hogwarts.  His guidance had been a life saver to two boys that were at a lost in the beginning of term and quite overwhelmed with it all.   

Remus was respectful of most people save a few obnoxious boys in his own house.  More than once, Severus and Remus had to bite their tongues and not let James Potter and Sirius Black get the best of them. How those two could be pure-bloods and act the way they did was totally baffling. Then there was Lily Evans, who had once been Severus childhood friend, she wasn't much better.  Severus had learned quickly that Lily was not to be trusted and had distance himself from her.  She still tried to get under his skin, but thanks to his friendship with Remus he no longer felt the need to entertain Lily.  Severus didn't like two-faced lairs and Lily was just that.  She would be one way to his face and then be a complete backstabber the second he turned away from her.  Let her have Potter and Black as friends.  Who needs enemies with a friend like her.  Even after they graduated, Remus and Severus kept their distance from her. She had an unique way of bringing  trouble wherever she went.  It became worse when she married Potter, but at least now she was his problem.  Good riddance.  They still had to tolerate her at Order meetings, but at least they could pretty much ignore her when they needed to. 

The boys had remained good friends with Lucius after he had graduated and had even stood up with him when had married Narcissa Black.  Even now with the rise of Lord Voldemort their friendship remained intact, much to the displeasure of Lucius' father.  It is known between them that Lucius didn't uphold to his father beliefs as far blood purity went and things were very strained between father and son.  Abraxas was a very stout supporter of Voldemort where Lucius wanted nothing to do with him or his beliefs. Circumstances had changed recently which was why Lucius was there.

"What news do you have for us, Lucius?  It has been awhile since we've been able to chat." Severus had asked.

Lucius let a smile creep up on his face, "Well, for one Cissy just told me that we are expecting!"

"Lucius, that is awesome!!" both Severus and Remus said, truly happy for their friend.  "I know you have wanted a child for some time now."  Severus added.

"Yes, we have.  I'm excited that it has finally happened.  Her due date is the beginning of June and we'll find out next month if it is a girl or a boy."  The happiness was just radiating from Lucius.

"How is your father taking the news or did you choose not to tell him, yet?" Remus asked.

"We haven't told him yet although I will have to soon."  Lucius ran his hand through his hair and sighed, a sigh of resignation.  "He is going to force me to take the dark mark at the next death eaters meeting.  He has made it quite clear that as his son and heir of the Malfoy name and fortune that it is expected without any resistance."

Severus sighed, "We were afraid that he would do this.  I am sorry Lucius.  I know that you despise everything that Voldemort stands for.  It must be painful for you to know that your opinion means nothing to your father. That he would knowingly make you do something that you are so set against doing."

“How can that man sleep at night knowing what he is doing to his son?” Remus wondered.  “I hope karma bites his arse nice and hard.  I can’t even fathom making a child of mine do something so despicable and to do it blatantly against his own wishes. I just can’t wrap my head around it.” Remus just shook his head in unbelief.

Lucius gave them a shit eating smirk, “My dear Remus, what better way to let karma have her revenge then to have the son of his greatest supporter turn spy for the light.  Yes, who would ever suspect that “I” am turning traitor against my own father?  No one will suspect a thing and I will be able to deliver all the information that the light needs to defeat him once and for all.  When it is all said and done, we will be victorious and hopefully once the truth comes out that I was on the side of light the whole time, forgiveness will be given and we’ll move on.  If not, well…I am a Malfoy and Malfoy’s always bounce back.  Knowing our dear friend, Severus over there not only will he have the potion created that will remove that mark from my arm, but the both of you will no doubt have all the backup support I will need to clear my name.  I have complete confidence in the two of you.”

“Thank you, Lucius. Your faith in me, means so much.” Remus said.

“You are too kind, Lucius.” Severus replied.  “We will do everything that we can to clear your name and help keep your cover.  I’m already working on that potion and it will be ready when this whole mess is over.”

“I am only too happy to take this burden from you, Severus.  I still don’t understand why Dumbledore thought you should be the one to take the dark mark.  It makes no sense whatsoever.  He doesn’t understand the consequences and what could have happened to you if you had been discovered.  It will be so much easier this way.  No one will know that it’s me and I will play right along with my father.  He will be thinking that he was finally able to get through to me and he won’t even suspect that I am really working against him.  Seeing as Voldemort is always meeting at the manor with my father, I should be able to get the inside scoop on what they are planning.  I’ll have to be careful, but where there is a will there is definitely a way.  I have no love lost for my father at this time.  As far as I’m concerned from this moment forward, I am fatherless.  I don’t want my son or daughter to ever even know their grandfather.  I hope he rots in the deepest pit in hell.”

“You are only too right.  I am grateful for your willingness to do this for the side of light.  If Voldemort was to win…it is unthinkable.  What kind of world would we have left?  He would destroy all that we love and hold dear.  Muggleborn wizards and witches are just as much a part of our world as pure-bloods are.  To think that they are less than just because they come from parents with no magic is just plain ignorance."  Severus sighed.  

"I totally agree with you.  We must succeed to give our children a better future.  A future where they can make their own choices."  Lucius said.  "Speaking of potions, is your latest masterpiece finished?"

Severus and Remus both grinned.

"What do you think" Remus laughed.  "We are talking about the potions master over here."

Lucius laughed, "So true, my dear Remus, so true!!

Severus chuckled, “It’s ready and before we start the meeting I am going to have everyone take it.”

“What will it do?” asked Lucius

“The first part of the potion will ensure that only the people that have drank the potion will be able to hear what is being said.  So, anyone that is listening in…let’s say our mole for example.  They won’t be able to understand what we are saying unless they have taken the potion.  I’m thinking that the mole somehow listens into our meetings - maybe by planting a bug or maybe he’s just a rat.  If my hunch is right – the mole will show up about 5 to 10 minutes into the meeting after not being able to understand what is being said.  It is then that the second part of the potion will kick in.  Whatever is said in the meeting can’t be repeated to anyone once we leave the meeting place.”  Severus smirked.

Remus added with a smile, “So that means that even if the mole hears what we say once they leave, they can’t repeat it to anyone. So when they go back to report to Voldemort what they heard, nothing will come out and I’m sure Voldemort won’t be too happy with that little development.”

Lucius laughed, “That is absolutely perfect!!  Severus, you are truly a genius.  I’m really glad I’m on your side.”

"And we are grateful that you are on our side." Severus grin and Remus agreed.

"Well...shall we make our way to the Headmaster's office.  The meeting begins in less than 15 minutes and I want a front row seat to see everyone's reaction when they have to take the potion.  Does anyone want to bet that Lily screeches the loudest"  Lucius chuckled.

Both Remus and Severus looked at each other and both shook their heads, no.  They all knew that Lily was going to throw a hissy fit because she always did.  We had all come to the conclusion that she just wanted the attention because it didn't matter what it was she had a complaint. Severus was thinking that maybe the next potion he made,  he would make it so Lily couldn't complain about anything.  Now that would be a fun potion to have.

The three friends headed for the door and made their way to the headmaster's office.  Yes...this meeting was going to be very interesting...indeed!

 

 


	5. Meeting of the Order

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor character death in this one but nothing real bad.

Lucius, Severus and Remus arrive at Dumbledore's office before the others arrived.  Severus took out the boxes that contained the potion and enlarged them.  With Remus helping they had everything set up in no time.  While Severus and Remus were setting up, Lucius pulled Albus Dumbledore aside and told him what was going to happen very soon with his father and being forced to take the dark mark.  As they went back and forth with Albus asking the questions and Lucius answering, Albus agreed that Lucius was in fact, a better option than Severus and that Lucius had a better chance of not being found out and that it would be the perfect cover.  Albus smiled and was in total agreement that Abraxas would never suspect that his own flesh and blood would betray him and turn traitor.  As they were finishing up, the first members of the Order started to arrive.  In short time, they were all seated and the meeting was ready to begin. 

As Severus, Remus and Lucius looked around the room, they notice that again one member of the Order was missing.  They each gave the other a knowing look and drew their attention back to front as Albus Dumbledore began to speak.

"Greeting friends and members of the Order of Phoenix.  I'm glad to see that you could all make it.  Before we begin, Severus is going to hand out a vial for each of you.  You must take it before we can begin the meeting.  Seve..."

Right on clue, Lily Evans Potter opened her big mouth to protest, "I'm not taking that.  How do I know he didn't do something to it.  You may trust him, but I'm not sure that I do totally.  I refuse to take it."  Lily looked on with a disgusted look on her face. 

Severus looked right at her, and with a sneer that would curl milk, told her "Then GET OUT!!  YOU don't drink what is in that vial - YOU...DO...NOT...GET...TO...STAY!  It is as simple as that!  You have 5 seconds and then you will be removed from this room, forcibly if necessary."

Giving Severus a look that could kill, but of course, it didn't even faze Severus, no - not one bit.  Reluctantly, she down the potion and sat with her arms across her chest, just daring anyone to say something else to her.   James Potter just sat there shaking his head and wishing that just once Lily would keep her big mouth shut.

Once everyone had taken the potion and waited the 3 minutes that it took for the potion to activate.  Albus spoke, "Severus is now going to explain what was in the vials that you just took and what its purpose is.  Severus, you now have the floor."

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore.  As you all know we have recently become aware of the fact that there is a mole among us.  In light of this fact, we were forced to take extra precautions. This potion, now that it is activated will make it so that anyone who has NOT taken it will be unable to understand what we are saying.  It will sound just like jibberish to them.  The second part of the potion, makes it so anyone that takes the potion cannot talk about what is discussed in these meetings to anyone other than someone that has also taken the potion.  So, they will know what is going on, but when they go back to Voldemort to report in, they will be unable to do so.  Nothing will come out.  I only made enough for current members and as there is only one person that is missing,  once he takes it there is no more of it.  That leaves only us knowing what is going on.  It also makes it so we can only talk among ourselves about it.  It is a safety precaution as there are some pretty important things we must discuss and we cannot afford for any of them to get back to Voldemort.  Since Lily brought up her concern, there is nothing in the potion that is harmful.  It has a specific purpose and that is to ensure all of our safety in the days to come.  If any of you have a serious question about the potion, you may speak with me after the meeting and I will be glad to answer them.  Thank you...Albus you may continue."   Severus stepped back against the wall with Lucius and Remus.  The three had a "I knew she was going to be an ass" look on their faces.  They brought their attention back to Albus and the meeting.

Unknown to them, hidden behind the wall listening, or we should say, he was trying to listen was a rat.  A rat, that went by the name of Peter Pettigrew when said "rat" was in his human form.  Yes...our boys called it right. They did have a mole, that was actually a rat, who was about to have a very bad day!  He had been spying in his rat form for months and then reporting back to Voldemort on what was happening with the side of light.  As he sat there listening, he couldn't figure out what was going on.  He knew they were talking, but he couldn't understand a word they were saying.  If he didn't know better, it sounded like they were talking in Greek.  He didn't speak Greek.  He had to do something as his master would not be pleased if he didn't bring back a report.  His master depended on his reports to plot his strategies.  There was only one thing he could do and that was he was going to have to make up an excuse as to why he was late.

Albus was just finishing outlining the plan and had filled everyone in that Lucius was going to be forced to take the dark mark and in having to do so, it was providing them with the perfect spy.  Severus having explained to Dumbledore his suspicions about the mole, had informed Albus to talk about Lucius in the first 10 minutes of the meeting.  That way if the mole just happened to barge in the room around the 10 minute mark, Lucius would be safe just encase somehow the dark side found a way to counteract the potion.  It was critical to their success that the dark side stayed in the dark as far as Lucius was concerned.  No good would come if Lucius was somehow compromised.

At the 11 minute mark in the meeting, bursting through the door, all out of breath, mumbling something about traffic and couldn't remember the passcode, was one, Peter Pettigrew.  A very subtle glanced passed between the 3 boys and headmaster, confirming their suspicions. That Peter was the mole.  Lucius thought to himself that he would once again have to acknowledge just how fricking brilliant Severus was.  He would also think again on just how grateful he was that they were on the same side. 

As soon as Peter caught his breath, Dumbledore handed him the vial and told him to drink it.  Peter casually asked what it was to which Albus replied, a precaution.  Not knowing any better, Peter drank it down and then got comfortable listening to the rest of what the meeting was about.  What Peter had no way of knowing and no one was going to tell him was that while he was receiving lots of information that would be vital to Voldemort and his take over the world plans, that when he went to reveal all of this information, nothing would come out.  Severus and the others had a knowing look that Peter's day was not going to be the pleasant outcome that he thought it was going to be.  Revenge is a dish best served cold or in Peter's case a dish best served with cheese.

The meeting went on for another 45 minutes, discussing plots, plans, strategies, partners and just about everything under the sun.  When Albus had released them, they had all formed separate little groups to discuss things that were in pertinent  to them.  After listening to Remus' well thought out explanations of why it would be a mistake to send him into the werewolf camps.  It was agreed that for now it would be best not to send him in.  Albus had decided it was best to keep Severus and Remus together so that they could in turn be support and help to Lucius if he needed it.  Considering the danger that Lucius would be putting himself in, Severus and Remus had been adamant about them being his backup.  No one knew, when or if it would be needed but they wanted it in place just in case it was. 

While everyone was talking, Peter had slipped out unnoticed and was now making his way back to Lord Voldemort with all kinds of interesting tidbits to share with him.  Little did Peter know, that things were not going to go as well as he had planned.  With Peter thinking that he had the most important pieces that would bring down the light side once and for all, he apparated to Voldemort's hideout Hedwicks Hollow.  What he never took into consideration was what had been in the vial that he had been made to drink.  That one little mistake would cost him dearly.

When everyone was finished, they all went their separate ways.  Severus and Remus headed back toward the library with Lucius in tow.  They had convinced him that he needed come have tea with their "Mum" and he needed to share his exciting news with her.  They knew she would be ecstatic that Lucius was going to be a father.  Our boys filled the hall with laughter as they made their way through the corridors of the great castle.

Meanwhile back in Hedwicks Hollow, the screams of one, Peter Pettigrew could be heard for what seemed like miles.  Voldemort hit him with the Cruiatus Curse over and over again, until Peter was about to lose consciousness, he couldn't  understand what had gone wrong.  Every time he went to open his mouth, nothing came out or it was just a bunch of gibberish.  He briefly wondered if it had been something in that vial he had to drink when he had got there.  He would never know as he was hit with an Avada Kedavra seconds later and entered into eternal hell where his soul would be in torment for all eternity.  Couldn't happen to a nicer rat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From this point on time is going to increase rapidly. It's time to grow Hermione up :)


	6. Robin and Roland Make their Prediction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time has now skipped to 1981

**_Granger Residence_ **

**_Sea Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex_ **

**_September 29, 1981 ~ Evening_ **

****

Jean Granger had just finished putting Hermione to bed.  She looked down on the sleeping child with her favorite wolf stuff animal tuck safely between her arms.  Jean often wondered if she dreamed that she was a wolf running wild in the pack.  Her sister, Diana had given Hermione that wolf for her first birthday and the two of them had been inseparable since that moment.  Hermione didn't go anywhere unless she had "Moony" with her.  When Jean had asked her how she had come to pick that name for her little wolf, Hermione had simply replied, "cause he howls at the moon".  The simple logic of a child.  Jean took one more look at Hermione and silently made her way out the door and down the hall.

Tonight was the night and for the first time, Jean had decided that she was going to witness first hand her husbands work their way through their process and see them reach their conclusion.  It was now a common known fact among Jean's family that Robin and Roland had a gift.  For the last 20 some years they had correctly predicted every single, soul bound couple.  It wasn't hit or miss...they just knew and the most astonishing thing was...they were never wrong.  They had predicted all 7 of their children, all of their children's children, all of Jean's younger brothers and sisters, all of their nieces and nephews and even some of Jean's Aunts and Uncles.   

It had started out as a joke way back when.  They had started doing it for fun, to see if they could figure out just who the soul mates were.  By the time, Kayleigh and her brother, Keith had been born, it was no longer a joking matter.  They were dead on right every single time.  They never revealed the soul mates to the child until they were older and it was already evident that they had their mates.  They didn't want to influence the child's decision but when the time came and the child asked, then they would give them an honest answer.  The parents would then be able to watch and observe to see if what Robin and Roland had predicted was indeed coming to pass.  As time went on and they were right every single time, Jean's siblings had decided to intervene to help the spouses-to-be along.  It was one thing to come to realize that you shared a soul bond with another, it was a totally different thing to realize that you would also share your mate with either your best friend or your twin in the girls case.  It was felt and agreed upon that as soon as the 3 acknowledged that they were each others, then it was important to educate the spouses-to-be as to what would be required and what would happen when they reached certain ages. Knowledge is power and in this case it was life saving.

Jean's mum and dads had agreed that it was important to start as early as possible so that no hard feelings would come between the boys.  Jealousy was never really a big issue with each other but it could quickly become an issue if someone other than them were to try and vie for their mates affection.  The times were changing and Jean's family all decided  that it was best for everyone to begin to teach them their ways sooner rather than waiting until the soul marks came in.  Jean knew from her own experience with Robin and Roland, that both boys had struggled immensely with their feelings for her.  Neither realized that they were both destined to be with her until Jean and her parents had set them down at 15 and explained what was happening and what was going to happen.  It all worked out in the end for them but some of her siblings had not been as fortunate.  As the soul bond is never wrong in the mates that it chooses, in the end everything worked out for the best.  As Jean and her brothers and sisters began to have families of their own, and Robin and Roland had begun making their predictions, it became clear that having inside information could in the end save a bunch of heartache for all those involved.

Jean thought on these things as she made her way to the kitchen to make tea and then join her husbands in the living room.  As she waited for the water to boil she stood in the doorway watching her husbands.  They were whispering excitedly back and forth, using their hands to express themselves.  She could not love them more if she tried.  They were her everything.  Sighing, she returned to make the tea and then go and see her husbands as they put the pieces together.  If she could, she would admit that she was just a little bit anxious and nervous.

Jean arrived in the living room with tea for her loves and after handing each their cup and taking hers, she went and sat in the big arm chair next to them.  Robin and Roland thanked her for the tea.  After having several sips, Jean put her cup down and focusing on both men, smiled.

"So, what do you know so far" Jean asked

Both, Robin and Roland looked up at her and with big smiles, Robin said, "They are both older"

"Older?  As in how much older?" Jean asked

"Like - we would say, what Robin, almost 20 years" Roland laughed

"Yep, I'd say 20 years" Robin concurred with his brother.  Shooting a wicked grin over to Jean.

Jean was still trying to wrap her head around that when she smiled, "Well, that will definitely be interesting.  That means they are around 21 right now?"

"Yes" both men agreed

"Okay, so they are older.  What else?"  Jean was really curious now.  Most of the soul mates were either the same age or between 1-5 years older.  It was rare that the mates would be that much older, although it did seem to happen once in a generation.  Jean's sister, Susan was 15 years younger than her husbands.  I will definitely be having a talk with her, Jean thought to herself.

"Both are tall" Robin said

Roland added, "One has dark hair - almost pitch black and it's on the longer side and the other one has sandy brown on the shorter side"

"Are they brothers or best friends?" Jean wondered

"Best friends" both answered

"So what else have you discovered, my loves?"

Robin looked at Roland and a smile came over both of them, turning back to Jean they both said, "They are wizards and powerful wizards at that."

Roland continued, "One is very strong with potions - he'll be a potions master at some point and a teacher."  

Robin then added,  "The other one is strong in defense against the dark arts.  I see him being a Defense Master and teaching, too.  Both boys are strong, loyal and both have good hearts. That will allow them to love our little girl completely.  They are both protectors and will protect her with their very lives.  Nothing or no one will ever be able to harm her when they are around.  They are men of deep honor and have high values. Their wisdom will guide them in the years ahead.  Their compassion for others will help them grow into the men that they are destined to become.  Their strong sense of duty will keep them from foolishness and their faithfulness will hold them and keep them faithful to Hermione until she reaches the age of maturity.  They will love no others as their hearts will not let them.  They will be a perfect fit for our little Hermione."

"Oh and did we mention that they are both bookworms" both Robin and Roland laughed.  Of course they would be.  Hermione was already way ahead of her age group with reading.  On more than one occasion they had found Hermione in the library surrounded by books as her and "Moony" took a little nap. Her mates would have to love books if they were to ever have a chance of winning her heart.

Jean shook her head, acknowledging what Robin and Roland had said.  They would be the perfect fit for Hermione.  

Thinking for a moment, Jean was lost in thoughts of the boys that the "soul sparks" had chosen for their little girl.  It always seemed to good to be true, but then it was.  The "sparks" just knew which ones to choose.  It wasn't even worth the thought process to figure it out because you couldn't.  All you really needed to know was that the "sparks" always knew the perfect mates.

Jean shook herself out of her thoughts and asked her boys a question that had just presented itself in her thoughts.

"You said that you think they will both be teachers, correct?"  Jean asked

"Yes" they both replied

"What are the chances that they will have to teach Hermione down the road?"

Both men could see where she was going with this.  If Hermione ended up a witch, which it was looking like she would be.  Her accidental magic was already coming out.  It was very much conceivable that she would end up at Hogwarts, where her soul mates would indeed be her teachers.  Even under normal situations that would cause problems, but with a soul bond it was likely to make things rather difficult unless there was some way to prepare the boys ahead of time. 

Robin took a deep breath, "It is very possible, but I believe that we will meet these boys at some point and we can begin teaching them what to expect.  We can then prepare them for what is to come.  The biggest obstacle they will face is fighting the desires for each other once their soul marks come in.  If you remember, we had an awful time staying away from you and not sealing the bond before it was time.  They should be able to keep their relationship professional with her until the soul marks come in when Hermione turns 17.  The other issue will be that she will turn 17 at Hogwarts and they will need to know what to expect when their marks come in.  It was very hard to watch you go through the pain of receiving the mark while we could do nothing to help you, we could only hold you tightly until it was over and then once it was the love that we felt for you had multiplied a thousand times.   We have time to figure it all out.  If Hermione goes to Hogwarts, she won't go until she is almost 12.  That will give her 5 years before the marks will come in.  That will be plenty of time for us to figure things out.  Don't you worry, my love.  We will make sure that Hermione and her mates-to-be are well prepared."

Jean gave them both a smile that reflected the deep love she had for both of her mates. They would figure everything out.  She was sure of it.

"So you think they will seek you out?" Jean asked

"Yes, I think they will.  Our particular bond is rare and not just because it binds two men to one women.  I don't know of any other bond that a soul spark divides when the child is born and then searches out the two perfect people that will make the other complete.  It is a very complex process.  It seems to amplify when the mates are much older than the child.  With Hermione's mates being so much older, they will realize that something happened.  They will in time come to understand that the "peace" that the spark has impressed upon their soul is there to guide them.  That peace will eventually lead them to us.  At that time, we can then begin to teach them."  Roland smiled as he finished.

Robin let go a heavy sigh, "There is one more thing that we have discovered."

Jean had a concerned look on her face, "and what is that?"

"Both boys will be key players on the side of light in the war against Voldemort."

"Oh no" Jean was up and out of her chair in a second.  Robin and Roland were both up and had her in their arms in the next second to comfort her as her tears began to fall.  It was a possibility that they could lose one or both boys in the war.  The final battle was coming and if the news could be trusted, it would happen sometime in the next month.  It had only happened a dozen times in the 700 years of recorded history of Jean's family, but in every case it was utterly disastrous for the mate that was left behind. They didn't even want to think about  the pain that Hermione would go through if she were to lose one of her soul mates, let alone both.  It was unthinkable.

Robin wiped the tears from Jean's face and gently said, "They are both strong boys!  They will make it!  They will live!  Then they will marry our daughter, have lots of babies and live happily ever after!!  We must be strong and we must believe.  The "sparks" will guide them and lead them.  I believe with all that I am, that they will both make it out alive.  We will keep them lifted up in prayer and they will be okay.  Are you okay my love"

"Yes...Sorry about that"  Jean sniffed

"Nonsense" Roland replied, "Jean, your love has saved us more times than we can count.  Our lives were nothing before we were joined with yours.  We love you more than life itself and that love grows on a daily basis.  In time, Hermione will know that kind of love from her mates.  We must keep the faith that they will be fine and while we wait we can all plan ways to torture them when they finally come to us."

Jean laughed at that.  Robin and Roland were excellent at putting the fear of God into the boys that had been bound to their daughters.  Even though Hermione's boys would be older, that would only give Robin and Roland more ammunition to fire at them.  In a way,  Jean was beginning to feel sorry for Hermione's mates.  Being the last child, Hermione's dads were already very overprotective of her.  Yes...the boys were going to be in for quite the surprise when Robin and Roland got a hold of them.

"Shall we head to bed, my love?" Roland asked.

Jean sighed and gave them both a hug, "Yes, let's check on Hermione and the we can settle in for the night.  If you are correct, which of course I know you are. It would seem that the "sparks" have chosen very wisely...indeed."

"We totally agree.  She will be loved completely, protected fiercely and honored above all others.  They are the perfect choices for our Hermione."

As the three of them looked in on the sleeping Hermione holding tightly to "Moony", she was mumbling something in her sleep that sounded a lot like, "Wait for me Moony and Se'vus"

 

 


	7. The Last Stand of Lord Voldemort

**_The beginning of the end:_ **

 

For the last two years the side of light has fought a fierce battle with the side of darkness.  It had all come down to this - the final battle.  The pieces of the puzzle were in place and now it was all up to light to bring down the darkness.  It is not an easy task but it was time.  We would go down as heroes or we would just go down and so would the wizarding world and we couldn't let that happen.

Lucius had indeed been forced to take the dark mark two weeks after our last meeting.  As he had predicted, his father had no idea that Lucius had turned spy for the side of light and would be key in bringing down the dark side.  Shortly after taking the dark mark, Lucius was told about Peter Pettigrew's ultimate demise and that as Voldemort knew he was friends with members of the Light  (thanks to his father), it had been decided that Lucius would be the new spy for the darkness.  This had played perfectly into their plans.  As Lucius had taken the potion Severus had made it prevented him from divulging any important information.  It did however allow the side of Light to orchestrate and manipulate the side of darkness enough to keep them off Lucius trail.  It also lead to Lucius being able to send them on wild goose chases that gave the Light more time to devise the final battle plans.

Severus and Remus had been key in helping Lucius to stay hidden amongst the death eaters.  Severus had developed even more potions that were use to fight against the dark,  giving them more time to arrange the final countdown.  Remus was working with Filius Flitwick to devise the charms they would need to confine Voldemort and his death eaters and then take them out.

A year into the battle, Cissy gave birth to a son, Draco Lucius Malfoy born on the 5th of June.  Remus and Severus had been made Godfathers to little Draco, which in turn really pissed off Abraxas.  Lucius didn't care and blatantly told his father that it was "HIS" son and it was his choice as to who he wanted as Godfathers.  It was not subject to negotiations - the end.  The following month, Lily also gave birth to a son, Harry James Potter born on the 31st of July. James had asked Remus and Severus to be Godfathers and they had graciously accepted on the condition that they didn't have to deal with Lily much. James had laughed and agreed, knowing that Lily was a handful on the best of day.  Alice and Frank Longbottom also had a son, Neville born on the 30th of July.  One might think having babies in a time of war was not the brightest move, but two of these boys would grow to be very important in the future for one Hermione Granger.  So, in the plot of things, these boys would also become an important part of the plot to bringing down Voldemort. 

An unforeseen event was pivotal in changing the course of the war and that was the unexpected death of Abraxas Malfoy from Dragon Pox in December of 1980.  With Abraxas gone, Lucius became heir of the Malfoy fortune and with Severus and Remus' help he was able to hide most of the money from Voldemort, claiming that his father had put most of the money in trusts that Lucius would not have access to for several years. With help from the goblins, Severus was able to obtain documents that would vouch for validity of Lucius statements.  The goblins were secret supporters of the Light as they knew that if Voldemort were to win, their lives as they knew it would never be the same. This in turned put a heavy strain on Voldemort's funds.  As Abraxas was his biggest supporter the loss of funds from the Malfoy's severely limited his actions and put Voldemort into a bind.   

As time went on more pure blood families had begun to question Voldemort and what he stood for.  They had begun to realize that the blood purity that he wanted would in the end also cause irrefutable damage to them as well.   Many of them quietly removed their backing and disappeared.  They took refuge in other parts of the world until a time came when they felt it would be safe for them to return.

Things really started to heat up in the summer of 1981.  Voldemort was becoming more and more desperate and increasingly more paranoid.  His attacks on  Muggleborn families were increasing.  Fear and terror were everywhere and no one felt safe. The side of Light fought more valiantly than ever to contain the carnage that Voldemort and his death eaters were causing.  The Light side was taking casualties as well.  They had lost some good people.  Losing some of their own just caused them to fight harder. 

In the middle of August, Lucius planted the final seed that would eventually bring down the dark Lord Voldemort and all of his followers.  The Order members had worked on a prophecy, that Lucius would then take to Lord Voldemort proclaiming that there was a child  born at the end of July, that would bring him down and defeat him once in for all.  Voldemort had been furious and had made plans to find the child and take out the said child before they could take him out.  With the bait set and Voldemort firmly taking the bait, the Order made preparations to take them all down.

The charms that Remus and Filius had been working on were completed the end of July just before Harry and Neville's 1st birthdays.  The prophecy had purposely been set to match the boys birthdays at the end of July.  This way they could  ward both the Longbottom and Potter's homes.  It was essential that Voldemort and his followers were lead to these homes as the wards were the first set of defenses that would lead to their defeat.  The final piece of the puzzle had been set.  Everything was ready.  It was time to take down the dark side once and for all.

The first major blow to the dark side happened at the end of August when Bellatrix Lestrange, her husband and brother were killed when they had attempted to take over the Longbottom estate.  Unknow to them, they were being lead right into a trap, the three incompetent death eaters failed to realize that when they walked right through the front doors and hit the hidden wards, they had placed themselves in a hidden bubble.   As the Aurors entered the room to subdue them, all three had yelled, "Avada Kedavra" as soon as the spell hit the concealed bubble, it ricochet off the bubble and hit them all straight in the chest.  Killing all three instantly.  Remus entered the room with Filius, both wearing grins and congratulating each other that the charmed wards had worked perfectly.  They had done exactly what they had wanted them to do.  The result was staring right back at them.  The death of one of the most vile death eaters besides Voldemort.  There would be no love lost there as Bellatrix was pure evil.  With the first major victory at hand, they would focus on the final battles to come.

The months of September and October saw many battles fought and won for the side of light. Severus being brilliant at making up his own spells as well as potions had perfected several new spells that would be key to bringing about the end.  The spells along with Remus and Filius wards were bringing down countless death eaters.  Every day Voldemort's followers became fewer and fewer.  With the fall of so many, Voldemort was becoming more and more unhinged as each day passed. 

It was time to end the war.  With that in mind, Lucius played his final part and informed Voldemort that the Potter's were at a house in Godric's Hallow and that the perfect time to attack would be on Halloween, October 31st.  Voldemort seeing that as a ideal time to accomplish his victory, plans were set to attack the Potter's.  Voldemort believed that baby Harry was the child of the prophecy having been thoroughly convinced with the facts that Lucius had provided.  The thing was that Lily and Harry were both safely hidden in secret rooms at the Ministry guarded by 5 Aurors.  They were completely safe.  With the date decided, it was time to put it all together and take down Voldemort.

On the night before that battle Lucius secretly met with Severus, Remus, James and Sirius.  Over the last two years, James and Sirius had come to appreciate just how brilliant Severus and Remus were.  They realized after spending time and fighting side by side with them, that if not for the projects that they had personally overseen, they would not be winning this war.  Seeing the sacrifices that Lucius had gone through for the side of light, had given them a deep appreciation of the man standing before them.  James knew that his family would not be safe tonight if it were not for the men standing before him.

Severus gave Lucius the potion that he had devised to remove the dark mark.  Immediately Lucius felt a burning sensation on his skin and then it was gone.  Looking at his arm where the dark mark had been, he saw nothing but pure skin.  It looked as if it had never been marked.  Lucius sighed in relief and gave Severus a hug.  Severus was slightly taken back by his actions but allowed Lucius this moment as Severus understood just how much this meant to Lucius.  Severus then gave Lucius another potion that would act as a signal to notify him when Voldemort was summoning him.  It was risky to remove the dark mark now but they had no choice as the key to tomorrow's victory was in the dark mark itself.  So removing it now was the only choice.  Lucius sat down as Sirius was going to paint an exact replica of the dark mark on his arm.  No one would be the wiser, and they would never be able to tell that it wasn't real.  Sirius was quite good at drawing and having practiced on all the boys in the room, he was now ready to do the real thing.  After it was done, Lucius thanked everyone for their support and acknowledged his gratitude for their confidence and belief in him.  This was it.  All the puzzle piece were in place.  All the planning had been done.  Looking around the room at the 4 boys...no men that stood beside him, Lucius  knew they were ready.  In less than 24 hours, they would either be victorious or more than likely dead.  Victory was theirs.  It was time to make it happen.  The 5 men sat and talked for a little while longer and then they all headed home to hopefully get some sleep before the battle. 

As Remus and Severus settled into their beds, the peace that had guided them for the last two years overflowed through their tired bodies, rejuvenating and comforting them.  As they fell into a deep sleep, the two soul "sparks" that resided in their souls, bloomed forth in a brilliant blue light hovering over their bodies and then covering them in a protective layer that would be impenetrable.  Nothing would be able to harm them now.  The protective layer the "sparks" had put over them would keep out anything trying to do them harm.  It was a precaution to insure that the two men that were bound to Hermione survived the final battle.  It was their gift to the two men that had given all that they had to make their world a safe place for everyone and that included Hermione.  When they were done, the blue light of the "sparks" faded back into Severus and Remus, again filling them with an overwhelming peace.  All would be well.

**_Godric's Hallow_ **

**_October 31, 1981_ **

**_The final battle:_ **

 

All the hard work and planning had come down to this.  As everyone on the side of light got in their positions.  They had Aurors inside the house along with James Potter and Sirius Black.  Severus, Remus and several others were position in the front yard of the house - hidden back so that they could help activate the wards when needed. 

At exactly 7 o'clock, Lord Voldemort and the rest of his followers appeared at Godric's Hollow.  Lucius was with them.  They had decided that it was too risky to have Lucius not come in with them as it wouldn't set them off to his betrayal before the time that they wanted it known.  Everyone held their breath as he made his way down the street to stand in front of the house that Lucius had told him would contain the Potter's. 

Voldemort had five of his best remaining death eaters go through the door of the house first.  It appeared that nothing had happened, but what they didn't know was the minute they entered the house the charmed wards had silently bound their magic and suppressed it.  They had no way of knowing that they were in sense squibs.  It didn't take long for the Aurors, James and Sirius to take them down and out of the way.  Using a specially designed portkey, thank you Severus for that, once they had the death eaters subdued they sent them instantly to Azkaban.

Voldemort confused not knowing what was going on sent in another bunch of death eaters.  This time another charm activated promptly knocking everyone out with some kind of knock out gas.  Again, they sent them instantly to their waiting cells in Azkaban although it would be hours before they woke up.

It was beginning to be a little anti-climatic until Voldemort decided to blow the front of the house off.  Then it turned into complete mayhem as spells started flying.  Our boys had been counting on it so as Voldemort and his remaining 30 or so death eaters were on the defensive and throwing all kinds of hexes and spells at anything that moved.  Lucius had conveniently escaped to the other side unnoticed and was now actively attacking the death eaters, only not looking like he was attacking them.  Lucius was incredibly clever.  It was why his spying had worked like a charm. 

The battle between good and evil had been raging for over an hour when the signal was given.  Voldemort was barely hanging on and was down to less than a dozen death eaters. The side of light began to push the side of dark closer to the west side of the house.  It was there that the final charms would be activate sending Voldemort away for good.

Severus and Remus were flanking on the west side along with Aurors Proudfoot and Savage.  James and Sirius with 3 Aurors were closing in on the south side.  Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody and 5 Aurors were pushing them back from the front.  Working together they had them all in range of the ward and slowly they were carefully able to work them inside it.  Once they were all inside, Remus activated the first barrier of the ward, that would contain them from being able to move back outside the ward.  Severus had linked it to their dark marks to prevent anyone not having the dark mark from being trapped inside.  Anyone not having a dark mark would be instantly thrown clear of the ward they were trapped in.  Then Lucius strolled to the front and the look on Voldemort's face, well okay, I'll tell you it was priceless.  Then it turned to outright rage.  Voldemort hissed and Lucius calmly told him of his ultimate betrayal.  While Lucius had them distracted, Remus activated the next part of the ward which sealed everyone in a non-breakable, invisible bubble.  As Lucius continued to bait Voldemort, the fury that had been building inside the bubble was now becoming noticeable. 

Then Lucius stepped back and with a smile on his face told Voldemort that it was he that had made up the entire prophesy to bait him into his final destruction.  Voldemort after hearing everything and knowing he had been betrayed by the one person, he would never have expected to betray him, turned his fury into a magic storm of monstrous proportions and as he made ready to unleash it on all of those on the side of light, Remus activated the last part of the wards to strengthening the barrier wall.  Knowing  that when Voldemort let go the storm it would hit the sides of the wards causing them tremble and shudder, but at the last second it would bounced back and totally consumed everyone inside the bubble leaving them a pile of smoke and ash.  Voldemort with a loud roar unleashed the magic storm believing that it would take everyone there out with him.  To his complete horror, he saw the storm bounce back seconds before it totally consumed him and his fellow death eaters.  The great so called Lord Voldemort was no more and neither were most of his death eaters.  The ones that had survived would be drained of their magic and sentence to life in Azkaban with no chance of ever getting out.

The celebrations went on to into the early morning hours.  A very tired Remus and Severus made their ways to their bedrooms, but they knew that the wizarding world would be safe from any future attacks from the vile, evil man.  All was well in their world.  They could now concentrate on finishing their respective Masteries and complete their teaching courses.  Albus had already agreed to hire both boys once they completed their studies.  They figured that in less than 2 years they would be at Hogwarts teaching full-time.  The thought warmed the boys souls and the peace that continued to bloom in their lives filled them entirely.  Not only would they be able to help the next generation grow into fine upstanding wizards and witches, but they would also be able to see their "mum" on a daily basis.  As sleep over took them, the last thoughts they had was that with Voldemort gone, they could now focus on what had happened to them that night so long ago.  Even with the war, they never stopped thinking about it.  Somewhere, out there was a girl with brown hair that they believed was meant for them.  Now, they just had to find her.  Hopefully their "mum" had some news for them.  They would see her soon and find out.

 

_**Granger Residence** _

_**Sea Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex** _

_**The Day After Voldemort's Defeat** _

__

As the Granger household woke up and made their way down to breakfast, Robin and Roland were helping get everyone settled with their cereal and toast.  Jean came in bringing little Hermione with Moony and her two new friends.  Jean had taken her shopping the other day so she could spend some of her birthday money from her siblings.  They had gone to the stuffed animal store where Diana had bought Moony.  Hermione was insistent that Moony need his friend.  After looking for nearly 10 minutes, Jean heard Hermione squeal.  Looking down at her daughter, she had two more wolves in her hands.  A pure black one and a sienna brown one.  As Moony was a beautiful grayish-silver wolf, it seemed logical that Hermione would choose two more wolves as his friends.  If Hermione was anything, for a 2 year old, she was very practical.  Jean smiled and asked Hermione if she had names picked out for them already.  Hermione looked up at her mother and with the look of pure innocence on her face, simply told her mother that the black wolf was "Sev'us and he is Moony's bestest friend" and holding the sienna brown wolf up, she said, "and this is me".  Jean picked Hermione up telling her that she thought that they were absolutely the most perfect friends for Moony. 

Once everyone was settle, Robin got up to let the owl in with the morning paper.  After paying the owl, he walked back to his seat.  He opened the paper and immediately looked over to Roland.  Roland gave him a quizzical gaze and got up to see what had Robin's attention.  As both men looked down at the paper, on the front page was a picture showing the victorious Aurors along with James, Sirius, Lucius and one, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin.  Robin looked at Roland and quietly said, "They both made it.  They are safe and alive."  Jean came over and stood between them to see what had captured her loves attention and noticing the boys, with tears gently falling she hugged them both saying, "I'm so happy they made it.  I just knew in my heart that they would be alright."   The three just stood there holding each other and silently thanking the good Lord that He had brought the boys through.  Hermione's soul mates were safe.  Robin shot a glance over to Roland and he nodded.  Now the real fun could begin.  At some point in the near future, Severus and Remus would seek them out and they wanted to be ready for them.  Yes...it was time to plan some fun for their future sons-in-law.

 


	8. Irma finally has a Breakthrough

_Hogwarts Library_

_July 11, 1983_

 

For the last 4 years, Irma Pince has been researching every book that she could find on soul bonds to help her boys.  Ever since that day in September when Severus and Remus had told her about the strange occurrence that had happened in the wee hours of the morning, she had spent every spare moment looking for the answer to the question, "What was it, and what does it mean".  The most frustrating part of the whole thing was just trying to find "anything" on soul bonds.  One would think that there would be multiple books, articles, or pamphlets on soul bonds.  She had found many references, but none of them came even close to what her boys had experienced.

Every time they had come to see her and had asked how it was coming, she had dreaded having to tell them that she still hadn’t come across anything.  Even though she could tell they were disappointed, they never allowed that disappointment to linger.  Their common response was, “Don’t worry Mum, when the war is over and we finish our schooling we’ll help you.  Don’t lose hope, we know that if anyone can find the answer it is you.  Remember what you told us, if she is a baby then we have time.  It will all fall into place exactly when it is supposed to.”  Then they would laugh and move on to whatever it was that they were dealing with.

It was hard watching them deal with the effects of the war.  They had lost friends and school mates, but their faith that they would be victorious never wavered.  They were strong.  The peace that had begun that day, never left them.  It became their guide throughout the days, weeks, months and years that followed.  If they had peace about something then they moved forward, but if the peace left they stopped, backed up and rethought things.  When the peace returned, they knew it was time to move forward.  It didn’t matter what it was, whether it had to deal with the war they were fighting or if it was personal, they didn’t proceed unless they had peace. After a few missteps, they learned quickly that they would pay a price for not heeding that peace.

About a year after their special visit, they had discovered quickly that the bond they shared was very determine to insure that the boys remained pure, untainted and faithful for their future wife. Both boys had gone out on a double date after an Order meeting, which unfortunately had ended with disastrous results.  They both had felt the peace leave them immediately as they picked the girls up and then they had been only minutes into the date when both boys experienced a stabbing pain in their chests making it impossible to breath. They quickly apologized to the two girls and swiftly left them, coming straight to see me.  It took almost an hour for their breathing to return to normal.  We had all come to the same conclusion that it would be very wise to “not” tempt fate and do that again.  It was very obvious to the three of us that the bond was not going to permit the boys to have any kind of relationship with any female other than the one they had been chosen for.  When they both admitted that the peace had left immediately upon picking the girls up, they both agreed that they should have stopped and backed up.  They did admit that even though that experience was quite painful, they were wise enough to understand that the bond had spoken, quite loudly in fact, and they did not want to go through that kind of pain again. 

The boys had learned another hard lesson of what happens when they didn’t follow that inner peace on the day both boys had stormed the castle absolutely livid.  I had never seen them so angry.  If steam could have come out of their ears, I was sure that it would have.  It took me almost 20 minutes to get them to settle down and tell me what had happened.   When they were finally calm enough to talk and had almost two cups of tea in them they had explained that they had repeated told Lily they weren’t interested in dating.  It seems that Lily had thought she knew what was best for them and so she interfered and set the boys up on a blind date with her two best friends that were very interested in Severus and Remus.  When the boys arrived for what they thought was a simple cookout at the Potters, Lily’s true intentions had been made known.

Severus and Remus were furious and promptly told Lily in not so many nice words to stay the fuck out of their lives.  They had no desire to date at this time and the reasons were their own. Then in front of everyone, Lily insinuated that maybe the real reason they didn’t date was because they were gay and were in love with each other.  Before the boys could do something they would regret, they had turned to James and apologized telling him that they were leaving and that they would not be returning again until Lily pulled her head out of her fucking arse and just accepted the fact that they weren’t interested in dating, that they had a very good reason for not dating, which was their business and no one else’s at this time and that they were not in any way, shape or form gay.  James had tried to apologize profusely for Lily’s actions but Severus and Remus would have none of it.  They assured him that they would remain his friend, but had no desire to have any contact with Lily from this moment forward. If she could not respect them and their wishes, then she could just fuck off.  Just before both boys apparated, they both sent a stinging hex directly at Lily’s arse. The last thing they heard was Lily’s scream.  They had then confessed to me that neither one of them had peace about attending the cookout, but they had gone because James was their friend.  They realized clearly that when the peace leaves…just don’t do it no matter what.

Irma smiled as she thought about how far those precious boys of hers had come in such a short time.  They had fought in the war against Voldemort and won.  They had faced incredible odds but had worked together for the “greater good” of the wizarding world.  They had made sacrifices that no 19-20 year old should be forced to make, but they did.  They stayed strong, stayed together and through the bond that they share had been able to accomplish all that they had set out to do.  It was now approaching two years since the defeat of Voldemort.  Severus and Remus had just completed their dual masteries and their teaching education.  Severus had received his masteries in Potions and Defense, while Remus had his masteries in Defense and Charms.  All the work he did with Filius to bring down the death eaters and Voldemort had proven that he had a talent in charms.  Filius was more than happy to have Remus as an apprentice and Remus had completed the Charms Mastery shortly after his Defense one.  With the war at its height, both boys had worked on their Defense Masteries together.  Having their masteries in Defense had been essential in the downfall of Voldemort.  What can I say about Severus and Potions?  He is definitely, without a doubt, one of the top most Potion Masters in the world. The potions that he developed for the war, were hailed as the most ingenious work seen in the area of potions in decades.  He is now working on some potions for “Mad-Eye” and the Auror’s program. Come September, Remus will be teaching “Defense against the Dark Arts” and Severus will be teaching “Potions” at Hogwarts.  I can’t wait to have them back in the castle. Am I proud of my boys?  Yes…Yes I am.  They have grown into find young men which is why I have to keep looking for the answers we seek about their soul bond.

I’ve been waiting on a book that’s been out of print for some time.  I have the bookshop in Hogsmeade looking as well as some of my other sources.  It was written over a hundred years ago by a Bernice S. Mitchell.  I have a feeling she had a wonderful sense of humor as the title of her book was, “Soul Bound – To be or not to be”.   According to what little I could find on the book, it seems that she has a soul bond and it is one that has spanned centuries.  What caught my attention was that she said her bond had given her two husbands.  My hope was that this book would have the answers I needed for Severus and Remus and I was hopeful that if it did that there would be some way to contact this woman’s families current ancestors.  I knew it was a long shot, but I also kept thinking back when I had told the boys that when the time was right, the answers would appear.  I think I have some of my boys’ inner peace rubbing off on me, because I just keep thinking that the answers I seek are coming.  They are almost here.

**_A week later:_ **

I received an owl on Monday the following week letting me know that they had located a copy of the book I sot and I could pick it up at my earliest convenience.  Excitement overwhelmed me as I thought that this could be it.  I quickly headed to Hogsmeade to pick up my treasure.  I arrived, acquired my precious book, thanked them immensely for their help in attaining said book and hurried back to the castle to spend the rest of the day pouring over what I hoped would be the answer to my prayers. 

As I settled into my chair and open the book to the first chapter, my heart soared.  There on page 1 were the words I had longed to read and see for the last 4 years.  I let the tears flow as I read,  “For centuries, in my family, when a child is born – at the moment of birth a soul flash rises from the child, splits into two “soul sparks” that travel the world searching for the two perfect mates for that child.  When the “sparks” find the ones that are worthy of the gift, they enter the mates soul where they will reside forever, guiding the mates with a peace that is all consuming, toward the child that waits for them.”

I sat there just starring at the words on the page.  Joy unmeasured rose up inside me and I let out a hearty laugh and held the book tight to my chest.  I had finally found it.  The soul bond that bound her boys to another.  Now her only thoughts were to find the family and the child to which her boys were bound.  First, she was going to enjoy reading the book and seeing what else she could find out about their bond. After that she would send an owl to the boys letting them know that she had found something and as soon as they could they needed to come see her.  She laughed to herself, because knowing her boys, they would arrive within seconds after they read her letter.  She couldn’t wait to show them what she had found.

 

**_Meanwhile at the Granger residence:_ **

Jean was putting Hermione and her trio of wolves down for her afternoon nap.  She was wondering to herself just where the time had gone, her baby was going to be 4 soon.  She was growing into such a beautiful girl.  It wouldn’t be long and she would be meeting her soul mates. 

Entering the living room, she spied her husbands in quiet conversation.  She tip-toed up to them fully expecting to catch them at whatever they were discussing when they caught her out of the corner of their eyes. 

“Ha…caught you!!”  Robin and Roland both laughed.

Jean just smiled at them, “Okay…out with it!  What are you two up to?”

Robin looked at Roland, Roland looked at Robin and then they both looked at Jean, “It’s almost time.  The boys will seek us out sometime within the next month.”

Jean laughed, “You two are having way too much fun with this.  You don’t want to scare them off first thing!”

Robin and Roland just looked at each other, “We don’t?”

“Robin Michael and Roland James!!  You will not scare your daughter’s soul mates off first thing!  It is going to be a lot for them to take in at first.  Do I need to remind you of your first meeting with “MY” fathers?!  You need to be considerate or you “will” answer to me.”

Getting on Jean’s bad side was not something either Granger brother wanted to do.  The last time that had happened they had to sleep in the guest room for a week.  It was not a pleasant week for either of them and not one they wanted to repeat any time soon.

“Okay…we’ll play nice.  Can’t we tease them just a little?  After all we are the fathers.” Robin snickered.

Jean smiled and shaking her head said, “Those boys had best have a good sense of humor to put up with the likes of you, two.  I have a feeling that they will be able to hold their own against you.  Play nice, it would not do either of you any good to have to go groveling to the two of them to get them back if you scare them off.  You know how the bond works and now that I’m thinking about it, it might just be in your best interests to go talk to my sister, Susan and her husbands, John and Scott before the boys seek you out.  Susan is 15 years younger and her boys might be able to give you some pointers.”

Robin and Roland both thought that – that was probably a very wise thing to do.  Standing up they follow Jean into the kitchen. As they helped her get supper started, their thoughts went back to wondering just how long it would take the boys to put the pieces together and come for a visit.  Yep…it was going to be quite the visit…indeed!  In all honestly though…they couldn’t wait to meet the boys that the “sparks” had chosen for their precious Hermione and they were undeniably excited about finding out more about them.  No…it would not be long now.


	9. Searching for Mr. & Mr. & Mrs. Granger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the longest chapter yet, but it will be so worth it in the end :)

**_Hogwarts Library_ **

**_July 27, 1983_ **

 

Irma had owled Severus and Remus the following afternoon, the day after she had received the book those many weeks ago. She had read the book cover to cover four times.  Where her sons were concerned, one had to be completely thorough before involving them.  She had wanted to know as much as possible before she let the boys know what she had found.  She had been correct in assuming that they would be there within minutes after they had read her letter.  She smiled when not even 5 minutes later they were walking through the doors. 

After they greeted her and she gave and received her hugs and kisses, she lead them into the sitting room where she already had tea waiting for them.  After letting take their first sips, Irma began to tell them what she had found out.  Severus and Remus both listened intently to everything she said.  When she was done, she handed them the book knowing that both of them would spend the next few days reading and re-reading it to absorb every bit of knowledge they could glean from the pages. 

To say that they were grateful was an understatement.  Both boys were overwhelmed with it all and while trying to gather in their runaway emotions, they both sat in silence just letting it all sink in.  It had been almost 4 years since that night in September when life changed for them.  Although they never said much, I knew that it had always been in the front of their thoughts.  I knew that they had questions that until this moment there had been no answers to.  Now, they could finally have some answers to those questions.  Of course, as it often happens, when one question is answered then even more questions appear.  It is a never ending cycle of question-answer-more questions.

Severus had then asked, “So, where do we go from here?”

I smiled at both of them, “Now, my sons, the fun begins.  We will need to spend some time tracking down her family.  It will take us some time, hopefully not too much with the three of us working together.  We need to go to the records department at the Ministry and see if we can track down some of her descendants.  Once we have a current list of them, then we can break it down to see if any of them have a daughter born in September of 1979.  After that we send a letter asking if it would be acceptable to meet them.  I can write the letter if you wish.  According to this most of her family are witches and wizards so it stands to reason that they will be, too.  At least now we have a starting point, my loves.”

Remus smiled, “Yes, we do, don’t we?  This is the best news you could have given us!”  When do we start?”

“When do you need to start setting up your classrooms?” Irma asked.

“Not for another week or two.  We should at get started by the 18th.  We have already finished our syllabus’ and turned them into Albus, so that is done and out of the way.  If we do research during the day, then we could always come back here for an hour or so at night and work on our classrooms.  We can move into our rooms any time after the 15th. “  Severus stated

Remus added, “So, with luck on our side, hopefully we can track down the family and meet with them before we have to report here.  I know it doesn’t give us much time but I feel it.  It won’t take us long to find them.  I feel it’s almost like they are just waiting for us to contact them.  I’ve had that feeling for a while now.”

Severus laughed, “You, too!!  I’ve been feeling that way for months now.  I swear, what did she call it?”

“A soul spark” Irma grinned at her boys.

“Well, one of my questions is going to be, does this “spark” put thoughts in our heads because the good Lord knows that I’ve some of the craziest thoughts that have turned out to be not crazy at all when they’ve come to pass.”  Severus laughed

“According to the book, the sparks lead by peace.  That’s why you’ve suffered consequences when you’ve gone against that peace.” Irma smiled.  “I would not put it past it though to lead you in directions and give you suggestions.”

“Have either of you had any more visions of this little girl?  She would be almost 4 now.” Irma asked

Remus and Severus both looked at each other and then to their mum.  “We both saw her the night before the final battle.  We both dreamed of her.” Remus acknowledged.  “We weren’t sure and it wasn’t until a few days after Voldemort’s defeat that we had a chance to discuss it.”

“Then about a month ago, we had another one.  In each dream or vision, whatever you want to call it, she is growing.  In this last one, she appears to be 3ish, which of course is the age that she would be.  She is the same size as Draco and Harry.” Severus added.

“That would make sense.  She will start Hogwarts at the same time they do.”  Irma agreed

“Her hair is a medium sienna brown and it’s gotten longer” Remus smiled.  “She is absolutely beautiful.” Severus smiled at Remus.  They both had been a little shocked at first but knowing what they knew now, it made sense.  Why wouldn’t this “spark” show them their mate from time to time.  “She is the most beautiful child I have ever seen.” Severus sighed. "When we see her she is always smiling and laughing."  

I told the boys that I thought it would be a wonderful thing that when we find her and her parents, that then both of them can be a part of her life as she grows.  From reading Bernice’s book, most of the soul mates are the same age or between 1-5 years older.  That way they all grow up together.  Most of her family knew by the time they were 8 or 9 who their soul mates were.  Some knew as young as 5, but all the ones she mentioned in her book knew before they were 11.  If you have visions or dreams of her, it is quite possible that she also dreams of the two of you.  When we find her and her parents, that is a question you will need to ask them.  Hopefully they know someone in their family line that has had to deal with this, too.  I am sure you are not the first soul mates to be much older than the child.  It does seem to be something that doesn’t happen often though.  It will all work out my sons, do not worry.  We will find them and when we do I know that you both will feel better about everything.  I would suggest you start working on your questions after you read Bernice’s book. If things continue to progress quickly you will need to be ready.”  

**_A few weeks later:_**

**_August 7, 1983_ **

They had diligently been working every spare minute that they could spare to do research on Bernice’s current family.  They had found several leads that had led to dead ends.  They were going down another rabbit trail at the moment.  This one seemed promising.  They had found a Martha, Donald and Dennis Monroe that lived in Worthing.  They had 12 children.  They had narrowed things down to several of their children.  A Diana, Thomas and Fredrick Bones; Sarah, Arthur and Andrew Thompson; and Jean, Robin and Roland Granger. 

Remus and Severus had agreed that if each of them took one family, hopefully they could dwindle the three down to one. Remus would research the Bones family; Severus was taking the Thompson family and that left the Granger family for Irma. 

The boys were going to have a busy week getting ready for classes that started in less than a month.  Irma had a hunch that the Granger family was the one that they were looking for.  It was that little inner peace that made itself known just when it was needed.   With that thought on her heart, she would sit down to write the letter that would change her sons lives after she finished her visit with them. She knew she was taking a chance if she was wrong about the Grangers, but in her heart, she knew she was right.  It was time for the boys to meet their future wife even if she was only 3 years and 11 months old at the moment. Smiling to herself, she drew her attention back to the boys to hear all about Harry's birthday.   

Telling by the look on Severus’ face it would seemed that Harry’s birthday party that weekend had gone about as good as it usually went when the boys had to deal with Lily and her stupidness. I was almost dreading asking until I saw the knowing smirk on both boys faces.  Oh no…what did they do?

“Okay out with it, what did you do to Lily?” Irma laughed

“What makes you think we did anything to Lily?” Severus snickered

“Severus Tobias Snape!!  I can tell when you’ve been up to no good.  Now, humor your mum boys and tell me what delicious prank you came up with.”

Remus snorted, “Oh, it was the best one yet!  I guarantee that Lily will think twice before she messes with us again.  The best part was James wants us to teach him the spell so he can use it on her!!” 

By now both boys were laughing so hard I didn’t thinking that I would ever get a straight answer from them.  It was worth it though, because whatever it was it had to be good to have them in this state of roaring laughter.

Once Remus caught his breath, he elaborated on what had happened.  “So, you know how Severus and I have been working on that spell/charm that can project images.  We been perfecting it so we can use it in the Defense classes to teach the students how to counter attack certain threats.  Well, our dear Severus over there thought it would ingenious to craft an acromantula, because they ‘could’ very well be a threat to the students.”

“Oh no, please tell me you didn’t” Irma gasped and then chuckled.  Everyone knew that Lily’s fear of spiders was gigantic.  More than one poor little defenseless arachnid had suffered the wrath of one Lily Evans Potter.

Severus was laughing uncontrollably at this point.  Gasping for air he said, “Well, I just couldn’t help it.  She started in on us about all these wonderful (cough, cough – gag me with a spoon) girls that would be absolutely perfect for us and well, Remus and I conferred with each other, silently of course and it was agreed that Lily needed to be taught a lesson.”

Remus added, “So, we cause a distraction and when she had her back turn we initiated the spell and right behind her formed this perfect, monstrous, big, bad acromantula.  As soon as she turned around, her face went deadly white and a blood hurling scream came out of her, that I think they heard all the way over in the next county.”

“Then…then” Severus went into another bout of rolling on the floor laughing.  When he was finally able to catch his breath he went on. “Then, we activated the charm portion of the spell and it started chasing her.  She was tipping over chairs, tables…”

“Ran over a few kids on her way to the house.  Oh my god, it was the funniest thing ever.  Even Harry and Draco were rolling on the ground laughing.” Remus went as he again broke into fits of laughter. “That was when James approached and asked us to please teach him that spell so he could use it on her!” 

“So, my darling sons…you were finally able to one up Lily!  I should be scolding you both for doing that, but I can’t find it in my heart to do it.  Not after all the trouble she has caused the both of you.  I will just do what any proud mum would do.  Congratulations! My dear boys on a job well done.”  Irma couldn’t help but laugh along with her sons.  It was the ultimate revenge for the bitch that deserved so much more. Irma Pince had no love for Lily Potter, she had made her sons lives a living hell just because she couldn’t accept the fact that they didn’t want to be set up with any of her friends. Hopefully, she would behave for a bit now.  I wasn’t going to hold my breath, but if she didn’t stop soon, I wouldn’t stop either boy from giving her exactly what she deserved.  If it wasn’t for the fact that I would pity the acromantulas in the forbidden forest that would eat her – I would feed her to them myself!  Would I feel bad about it?  No…No I would not!  Serves her right and someday karma would get that worthless bitch and we would all celebrate.

We sat and talked for another hour or so and then had a wonderful evening meal.  The boys kissed me good-bye and headed for their classrooms to do some work on them before they went back home to Spinner’s End.  I couldn’t wait until they moved in and were in the castle all the time.  A mum misses her boys, and I had missed them.  It would be so good to have them here with me again.

After I settled the dishes, it was time to sit down and write my letter to the Grangers.  I felt a whole cluster of emotions as I sat down.  This letter would be the start of what I hoped was a long, long friendship. 

It had taken me 2 hours to write the letter and lots of sheets of parchment, in the end I felt that it had said everything that I need it to say.  In the morning, as the sun rose over the hills, I took a deep breath, gave the letter to Mitzy, my owl and sent her on her way to the Grangers.  My heart beat fast at the thoughts I was having, this could be it.  After all these years, our answer may just be an owl away.  I watched her fly until I could no longer see her as a dot on the horizon and went about my morning routine.  It would do me no good to sit and wait for the owl to come back, a watched pot never boils they say.  So, I started my day with hope in my spirit and a heart full of expectation.

 

_**Granger Residence** _

_**Sea Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex** _

 

Robin, Roland, Jean and Hermione with her three constant companions were enjoying the beautiful, sunny morning out on their patio facing the sea.  They loved it here, the house set only 200 feet from the ocean.  On days like today, they loved sitting outside listening to the waves wash across the shore.  The smell of the fresh ocean air on the breezes that blew by them were so refreshing.  Hermione loved the water, they had to build a fence around their property because she would sneak down to the water whenever they were distracted.  She would tell them that the water brought her peace and that Moony, Sev’us and her liked to play in the water.  More than once, Robin and Roland had to use a drying spell on her wolves when she had insisted that they wanted to swim.  All three wolves now had a repelling charm on them so that they would stay dry even in water which was a good thing because Hermione had recently discovered that they were so much more fun during tubby time.

As they sat discussing what their plans for the day were, while watching Hermione and her three wolves play, Robin saw Mitzy first.  He nudged Roland who looked up to see the beautiful brown barn owl coming toward them.  Jean having been distracted by something Hermione was doing, looked up just in time to see the owl land on the table in front of Robin and Roland.

As both men looked at the owl before them and the note taped to her leg, they both took a deep breath. 

“This is it” Robin said. 

“Yes…yes it is” Roland took another breath

Their thoughts were interrupted by Jean, who causally said while looking knowingly at her husbands, “Are you going to read it or are you just going to stare it all day.  We’ve been waiting for this moment for so long.  Now…both of you – get on with it already.”

Robin quickly removed the letter from the bird’s leg while Roland gave her some bacon and sausage.  When she didn’t leave both men smiled.

“Well, that’s a good sign.  She’s waiting for a reply” Roland laughed

Robin opened the letter and began to read it aloud so they could share in this special moment.

 

_Dear Mr. Robin Granger, Mr. Roland Granger, and Mrs. Jean Granger:_

_Greetings to you_

_My name is Irma Pince, I am the librarian at Hogwarts, my sons (by choice not blood) are Severus Tobias Snape and Remus John Lupin._

_I recently received a copy of a book by Bernice S. Mitchell, “Soul Bound – To be or not to be”.  I believe that she is a great ancestor of your wife’s family.  My sons and I have spent the last few weeks tracking down current members of Ms. Mitchell’s family tree.  This has led us to you._

_The reason for this letter is that on September 19, 1979 at approximately 3:30 in the morning my sons were awoken to a searing pain in their chests, followed by a peace so completely overwhelming that it left both boys with a profound sense that something special had happened to them.  Before both boys fell back to sleep each one experienced a vision of a baby girl with brown hair._

_This peace has followed my sons through the last 4 years of their lives.  They both played a key part in the downfall of the vile, evil Lord Voldemort.  Both boys have complete dual masteries in their fields and both will begin teaching at Hogwarts come this September.  As I am sure you can tell I am so very proud of my sons and all that they have accomplished in such a short time._

_It has been my quest to do the research for them while they dealt with the war and their schooling.  I have spent the better part of the last four years researching soul bonds for them, to try and explain what happened to both of them in the early morning hours of September 19 th.  The answers had alluded me until I received Ms. Mitchell’s book.  The pieces of the puzzle then came together and here we are._

_I did dig a little deeper, and I hope you will forgive me.  I was able to find out that your family had a beautiful (Severus and Remus have had several visions of her) baby girl on the 19 th of September in 1979.  It is my hope that your baby girl is the soul mate to my sons.  The child that sent her “soul sparks” in search of them and found them worthy of their gift.  It seems to me that she is._

_Before I end my letter to you, I would like to give you a little insight into my sons.  Both boys grew up in abusive homes.  When they arrived at Hogwarts they were damaged but not broken.  Through their mentor, Lucius Malfoy and my love for them, we turned them around.  I adopted them as my own and I am fiercely protective of them as any parent should be.  I have always wanted the very best for both of them and I saw what happen to them as the gift it was.  They are both loyal, hardworking, compassionate young men that will protect and nurture and love unconditionally your daughter until the very end.  The “sparks” have indeed chosen very wisely._

_Both boys have lost both parents.  As they were only children, they have no siblings and therefore, I am all that they have.  That you have such a large family to bring them into will be a blessing in disguise for both of them.  I believe with all my heart that the love that you have for your own children will spill over into them and you will love them as your own just as I do.  We all want the very best for our children, don’t we?_

_I feel that I must share one bit of information that you may not have been aware of but it is vital as I wish there to be no secrets between us.  When Remus was a small boy, age 4.  The same age that your precious child will be in another month.  His father enraged a werewolf by the name of Fenrir Greyback.  To pay back the father for his grievous lack of judgment, Greyback attack young Remus leaving him a werewolf.  It was extremely painful to watch Remus turn every full moon.  When Severus was 13, he made the decision to come an animagus, Minerva McGonagall, our Transfiguration professor worked with him for almost a year before he made the complete change.  Where Remus is a beautiful grayish-silver wolf, Severus is a pitch black wolf.  They are beautiful in their wolf forms.  Severus calls Remus, “Moony” when he is in wolf form.  They spend every full moon together now.  The most amazing thing happened to Remus when he received his soul “spark”. For the very first time ever – he and the wolf were at peace.  Even more amazing is that they are still at peace and when Remus changes now there is none of the agonizing pain that he had before.  When he changes he is at peace and so is the wolf.  It has been a major blessing for him to not experience the intense pain that always came with the change.  I thought that you should know._

 

Robin, Roland and Jean stopped and looked over to where Hermione was playing with her 3 wolves.  Robin quietly said, “Well, that explains the wolves and the names.  Sev’us is obviously “Severus” and Remus is “Moony”. 

Jean looked thoughtfully over at her daughter, “That would explain why when she sleeps, she says ‘wait for me Moony and Sev’us’.  She is dreaming of them.”

“Wow…that’s all I got…just wow.  We always wondered if the kids had dreams or visions of their soul mates when they were small.  We knew they did when they got older.  I guess we know now that they do.  Hermione’s just proven that.  That must be why she was so adamant that she had to find “Moony’s” friend.”

“So my dear husbands, either one of you want to bet me that Hermione’s animagus form is going to look like her sienna-brown colored wolf” laughed Jean.

“Nope…I’m not taking that bet.” Robin said

“Nope…Me neither.  Do you take us for fools, Jean?”  Roland laughed.  “Okay now, get back to the letter, but on that thought, she is going to be a beautiful wolf.”

 

_If it is acceptable to you, we would love to meet you before the boys begin teaching September 1 st.  We can be available at any moment, please just name the day, time and place and we will be there.  If it is also acceptable I would very much like to be there, too.  She will after all be my daughter at some point.  _

_If I have made an error and you are not the family I seek, please accept my sincere apology.  I believe that I have not been mistaken, though.  I believe you are indeed the family that I seek._

_If you would be so kind to reply back to me ~ in either the affirmative or negative, my owl’s name is Mitzy and she is at your service._

_Thank you for your time.  May we see each other very soon._

_In sincere appreciation,_

_Ms. Irma Pince_

_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

_Librarian_

 

Robin gently folded the letter and turned to look at Jean and Roland.  Slowly the grin appeared on his face and they all broke out in a laugh.

“That was amazing and went so much better than I thought it would.”  Roland said.

“Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they're older.  It was never that easy with the other kids when we had to explain to their parents why both of their kids were soul mates to ours.”  Robin supposed.

“Oh my god…remember when Jean’s mum and dads had to meet with ours.  I thought they were going to have a coronary right then and there!!”  Roland was really laughing now.

“Alright you two.  When do we want to invite them?  Focus boys!!” Jean laughed.

“How does August 20th at 11:00 – here sound?” Roland asked

“Perfect!!” Jean and Robin agreed.

“I’ll go get you some parchment and you can send her owl back with the happy news” Jean grinned ear to ear

With parchment in hand, Robin wrote his reply back to Irma.

_My dear Ms Irma Pince,_

_My brother, Roland and our beautiful wife, Jean and I have been awaiting your letter for some time now.  We knew that you would put the pieces together and reach out to us.  We could not be more delighted that our daughter, Hermione Jean’s “sparks” have chosen such fine young men to be her soul mates._

_Although it is unusual for mates to be so much older is not uncommon.  It has happened in the past and I’m sure will happen again at some point.  Please relieve any concerns that Severus or Remus might have about being so much older.  We will guide them every step of the way.  They will have obstacles to overcome as we all have in this unique situation that we find ourselves in but they both will have the strong backing and support of our entire family behind them.  You can let them know that Jean’s sister, Susan is 15 years younger than her husbands.  I am sure that John and Scott will both be willing and able to give them invaluable advice in the time to come.  Please have them bring any questions that are gnawing at their brains and we will do our best to answer them.  Roland and I had many questions when we learned that we were both Jean’s soul mates. It is to be expected._

_If it is suitable to you and your fine sons, we would love to host a luncheon for you at our home, 752 Sea Road, Littlehampton, West Sussex at 11:00 in the morning on Saturday, the 20 th of August.  _

_Please confer with your sons that this date will be acceptable, please dress casual as we will be eating on our patio overlooking the ocean._

_We are very excited to meet you, dear Irma, Severus and Remus.  Please rsvp as soon as possible._

_Yours truly,_

_Robin M. Granger_

With the letter written, Robin gave it to Roland and Jean to proofread and see if they wanted to add anything.  With everyone happy, they gave Mitzy another sausage and sent her on her way.

Remus and Severus had just entered the sitting room to have lunch when Mitzy returned.  Irma quietly got up, took the letter from Mitzy, proceeded to read it and with a smile a mile long, cleared her throat and looking at her two sons informed them, “Clear your calendars on August 20th , boys!  You have a date with destiny.”

Both boys looked at her like she had lost her mind or was lost in her own little world.

Irma just smiled, “Boys…on August 20th at 11:00 in Littlehampton on Sea Road, you are going to meet your future wife, Hermione Jean Granger and her parents.”

Severus and Remus both ran over, grabbed the letter (then apologizing for grabbing the letter), read said letter and then turning to Irma, grabbed her and gave her the biggest group hug, ever!!  With smiles that could melt the sun, they all sat down for lunch and began to discuss what they needed to do before their visit with the Grangers.  Irma sat quietly watching her sons as they made plans for haircuts, visits to get some new clothes and what questions they wanted answers to the most.  All the researching, all the time, all the books had brought them to this moment.  In just a short time, they would have their answers and she could not be happier for them.

Now, all they had to do was make it through the next week and a half, and they would meet their Hermione.  Hopefully, she could keep the boys on the ground until then. As soon as the boys left after lunch, she sent the reply to the Grangers confirming that the date and time was perfect and that they could not wait to meet them and little Hermione. 

                            

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay for all those patiently or not so patiently waiting. Severus and Remus are about to meet their Hermione for the first time in the next chapter. Hang on it's going to be good :) Bring on August 20th!


	10. Meeting the Grangers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is...their first meeting! I hope you enjoy it :)

The days flew as Severus and Remus spent their days getting ready for the start of the new school year.  At night, they focused on preparing for their visit with the Grangers.  They were thankful that they needed to get their classrooms ready as it occupied their time and kept their minds busy and off what was quickly coming up.  On August 15th, they moved into their quarters. Albus had decided to give them both joining quarters in the dungeons seeing as they spent so much time together.  As Remus’ classroom was on the first floor it wasn’t far from where his quarters were.  As they were unpacking they soon discovered the most wonderful thing about the castle was that it could create doors, openings and rooms.  So it wasn’t a total surprise when Remus opened a door in his room that led straight to his classroom and another that put him right in front of the Gryffindor entrance.  They had separate bedrooms and baths but shared an open sitting room, small kitchen with dining area and a small patio off the kitchen.  The castle conveniently gave them a special room lined with bookcases that would be their own special library.  They had both looked in on it and were hoping that there were enough bookcases as both boys had a massive collection of books.  Of course they did! They found out much to their delight that if more bookcases were needed, and they were, the castle immediately shift the room and more appeared.  Also appearing was a beautiful fireplace, several very comfy armchairs and a lovely couch.  The room could not have been more perfect for them and the boys couldn’t wait to spend more time in it. They were officially at home at Hogwarts and Irma couldn’t have been happier.

At their first faculty meeting two days later they found out that they were going to be their respective Head of Houses.  Severus would be Head of House for Slytherin and Remus was Gryffindors.  As Filius was still Head of Ravenclaw, both boys knew if needed advice that they had a place to go.  Filius was excited that the boys would be joining him as leaders.  He had great respect for both, Severus and Remus.  They had done so much for the wizarding world during the war against Voldemort and he knew that it was because of the inventions of spells, potions and charms that had allowed them to achieve the victory. 

Irma did her best to keep them focused and not off track.  She chuckled to herself more than once as she had never seen them so distracted.  If she were honest, the closer it got to Saturday the more nervous she had become.  She wasn’t sure if she was nervous for herself or for the boys.  She decided it was just both.  They were ready.  The boys went and got haircuts the day before and as it was going to warm and they were going to be by the ocean, both boys had decided on white polo shirts and black pants for Severus and tan pants for Remus.  She had just shook her head at Severus knowing that it was going to be impossible to get him out of anything but black.  She had laughed when they had showed her their teaching robes as they made them appear to be flying when they walked.  They were looking for dramatic effect to put the fear of God in wayward children.  Irma agreed that it would.  She actually really liked the look and continually told them how very proud of them she was.

Saturday morning arrived right on time and both boys admitted to a stomach full of flying bats that were having a free for all at their stomachs expense.  Irma gave them some calming tea and everyone took their time and got ready.  Severus and Remus were giving themselves a pep talk and trying to tell themselves that she was only 4 and she may not even remember this first meeting.  They still wanted to make a good first impression.  They had bought her a bracelet that had all their initials on it in a heart that she could wear on special occasions.  It would grow with her, so as she grew it would continue to fit her.  After making one final check making sure they had everything, check – Severus had the bracelet safely in his coat pocket and Remus had the list of questions.  Taking a deep breath, the three headed to the apparition point, knowing that the moment of truth had finally arrived.

_**Granger Residence:** _

_**August 20, 1983** _

Robin and Roland were putting the final touches on lunch.  Jean was getting Hermione ready.  They had all watched her carefully at breakfast this morning to see how she was acting.  They had watched their older children instinctively know when they were meeting their soul mates.  Of course, they had all been older.  Even the three of them had known something special was going on when they had met at 7.  They were curious to see if Hermione would know that she, even at almost 4, was meeting her soul mates for the first time.  If they could go by her actions this morning, the signs were good.  She was uncommonly quiet for her, holding on to her wolves more tightly than she usually did.   She came in ate her breakfast without the usual protests, didn’t fight her mum when she wanted to give her a bath after breakfast, she had come to them with her wolves to make sure they were in immaculate shape.  About a half hour before they were due to arrive Hermione had started chewing on her bottom lip, which was a sure sign that she was nervous and had started pacing.  She was in her pretty blue sundress that was covered in her wolves that Jean’s sister, Brenda had made for her. On her little feet were her flip flops that had little snakes on them.  Yes, Hermione loved snakes. Robin had suggested that Jean take her into the library that maybe being surrounded by her books in her favorite place would calm her. It seemed to help a little. Jean sat down with Hermione in her lap and began to read her favorite book as they waited for their guests to arrive.

At 10:55 – Severus, Remus and Irma arrived in front of the Granger Residence on Sea Road.  It was a beautiful old Victorian home.  The ocean breeze coming off the water was calming.  Irma wrapped her arms around both boys and reminded them to just breathe.  She gave them a kiss and they head to the house, climbing the stairs and came to stand before the front door 

Severus looked at Remus who nodded, this was it…the moment they had been waiting for since that night…bracing himself, Severus pressed the doorbell.

Robin and Roland were waiting in the living room.  They understood how big this moment was for all of them.  Smiling to each other, they headed for the door when the chimes rang.  Opening the door, greeting them with a hello, they stood back ushering Severus, Remus and Irma into their home and into their lives. 

Once everyone was in Robin greeted Irma, “You must be Ms. Irma, it is our great pleasure to finally meet you and your sons.  I am Robin Granger and this is my brother, Roland.”  Robin then raised Irma’s hand and kissed it gently.

Roland added, “Thank you for coming to our home.  We are so happy that you are here.” Roland followed Robin’s lead and kissed Irma’s hand.

Turning to Severus, Robin held his hand out, “It is my great pleasure to finally meet you, Severus.”  Severus shook his hand and said, “It is my pleasure to meet you Mr. Granger.”

The same thing happened between Remus and Roland as they shook hands.  The Robin and Roland switched and greet the other.  Clapping the boys on the back, Robin said, “Please call us Robin and Roland.  We are after all family now.”

Severus and Remus both smiled thanking them for their kindness. 

In the library at the moment the doorbell rang, Hermione stopped.  She looked up at her mum and before Jean could react to what was happening, Hermione was up and running out the door and down the hallway.  Jean laughed as she got up and trotted after her daughter.

As the boys were just finishing up the introductions, they heard the sounds of tiny footsteps running down the hallway and a loud squeal as Hermione broke into the living room.  She stopped right before Severus and Remus and looked up at them.  With wide eyes, she took in the scene before her.  At the same time, Remus and Severus kneeled before Hermione so they could look her right in eyes.  Her beautiful brown eyes.  For a moment, all time stopped as the three took each other in.

Robin placing his hand on Severus’ shoulder gently said, “Hermione, this is Mr. Severus Snape.”

Hermione looked up at her father and then back at Severus.  Before anyone could react Severus had a small girl in his arms with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.  “Sev’us Sev’us…I knew you would come!!”  Then she lean back just a little and thrust her black wolf at Severus.  “Sev’us”  Sev’us”.  Severus took the black wolf and looking at Hermione said, “So your wolf is Sev’us?”  Hermione happily nodded her head “yes” and was back to holding him tightly.  She sighed…quite loudly and stayed in Severus’ arms for several minutes.  All Severus could do was hold on to her and breathe her in.  She smelled of lavender and sea mist.  It was intoxicating.  He then felt the peace in his soul merging with hers.  Time stood still as he held the little one that would one day be his wife. 

Roland then standing behind Remus, put his hand on Remus’ shoulder and softly said, “Hermione, this is Mr. Remus Lupin.”  Hermione slowly back away from Severus.  As she took in Remus, her eyes suddenly got really big and she squealed and Remus found himself with the little girl tightly wrapped in his arms with her arms around his neck.  Just as she had done with Severus, she held out the grayish-silver wolf saying, “Moony, Moony…I knew you would come, too!”  Remus smiled at her “This is Moony, yes?”  With a look of pure adoration she looked at Remus and softly said, “This is you”.  Remus looked at Severus as Hermione again wrapped herself tightly in his arms.  Remus closed his eyes and just held on to her.  She was already wrapping them both tightly around her fingers and she was not even 4 yet, how on earth were they ever going to survive when she got older.  Then just as it had happened with Severus, Remus felt the peace in his soul merge with hers.  They would be quite the team, the three of them.

Jean had quietly come in and stood beside Irma introducing herself as they watched Hermione’s greeting of the boys.  Quietly she whispered to Irma, “We figured it out when we got your letter and you told us about Remus’ condition.  She dreams of them in wolf form.  She has since she was 2 and she found the black and sienna-brown wolves.”

Irma looked at Jean and smiled, “Hermione is the brown wolf”

“Yes” Jean smiled

“She is beautiful, Jean.  Severus and Remus have described her from their dreams but she is more beautiful than I’d ever pictured.  She knows them even though she has never met them until now.”  Irma continued to watch them.

“So much is still not known about the depth of our soul bonds.  It is always a learning experience for us.  It is going to be a whole new learning curve for us because her mates are so much older than her.  It is our hope that having both Severus and Remus be a part of her life from this moment forward will help all of them as she grows.  Her heart is so big.  You can see for yourself that she already loves them as much as I know they do her.”  Jean couldn’t help the tears that formed in her eyes.  Meeting ones soul mates always had that effect. Just remembering when she had realized that Robin and Roland were her mates.  It is a very powerful flood of emotions that overtake you.

As Hermione finally pulled away from Remus, Roland said to her, “Hermione, sweetie…Let’s take Severus, Remus and their mum out to the patio for some lunch, okay?”

Hermione smiled, and taking her wolves from Remus and Severus put them in the pockets of her dress.  Brenda had purposely made the pockets big enough to hold the wolves. Taking both their hands in hers she led them out to the patio.  Robin and Roland helped uncover the food that they prepared and brought out earlier.  Robin introduced the boys to Jean and once everyone was settled they began eating their meals.  Hermione had decided that Severus’ lap was the perfect place to eat her sandwich and so wrapping his arm around her so she wouldn’t fall off they fell into quiet conversation.

Robin and Roland were interested in knowing about their masteries and what they would be teaching at Hogwarts.  Some of their older children had gone to Hogwarts but not at the same time as them.  Kaleigh and Kevin had chosen to attend a muggle school as their soul mates were there.  Jean taught them the basic magic at home.  Robin said that having two teachers in the family would benefit their family immensely if they were willing to teach during the summer months. Severus and Remus could instruct family members in basic defense and potion skills.  It never hurt to be able to defend yourself or brew the basic potions. Roland explained that it would also give them opportunity to interact with other members of the family and more importantly they would be able to spend time with Hermione.  As their home was huge, the boys would be able to live with them and it would give Robin and him more of a chance to teach them about the bond and what to expect as Hermione grew older. Robin even mentioned that it would more than acceptable for Irma to come along and stay as well.  They wanted Irma to be able to spend time getting to know each of them and to also be a part of Hermione’s life as she grew.

After lunch was over and the dishes sent back to the kitchen.  Robin and Roland looked over to watch their daughter interact with her soul mates.  Hermione had rotated between both boys over the course of lunch.  Switching laps whenever she felt the need but never straying far from either Severus or Remus.  After a little while Hermione started to get sleepy, knowing it was close to her naptime Jean was just about to get up and take her in when Hermione got down and off of Remus’ lap and went over to the chair, picked up her blanket and went over to Severus and promptly climb up in his lap, took her wolves out of the pockets of her dress and snuggled them in her arms nice and tight and quickly fell asleep to the beat of Severus’ heart.

Robin and Roland quietly chuckled and Robin informed both of them, “You might as well get use to that.  It appears that she knows just who you are and what you mean to her.  She never goes to people she doesn’t know.  The fact that from the moment she saw both of you, she has not let either one of you out of her sight proves this to us.” 

“She doesn’t understand it, at least not in the way that we do, but somehow she knows there is a strong connection between the three of you.  She is completely content and she trusts you completely to keep her safe.”

As they watched her sleep on Severus’ chest, she mumbled in her sleep, “Wait for me Sev’us and Moony”

Remus and Severus’ eyes lit up.  “Did she just say what I think she said?” Remus asked clearly shocked.

Jean laughed, “I was telling Irma when we were watching you two interact with her in the living room that we figured it out after we received Irma’s letter.  She dreams of you in wolf form.”

Robin grinned, “We had always wondered if the kids dreamed of their mates when they were really young.  Hermione answered that question when Irma told us that Severus calls you “Moony” when you’re in your wolf form.”

“Then we put two and two together and realized that “Sev’us” was Severus but she just hadn’t figured out all the letters yet” Roland added.

Jean continued, “When we read the descriptions of you in your wolf forms we knew.  As you saw when she first came up to both of you, she recognized you in your wolf forms.  She handed each of you, your wolves.”

“Calling you by your names that she calls you” Robin smiled.  “She knows. She doesn’t really understand, but she knows that you in your human forms are the same as how she sees you in your wolf forms.”

“Shoot, we don’t even understand it fully and we’re her parents.” Roland added.  “It just is what it is at this point.”

“So, if Remus is the grayish-silver wolf and I’m the black wolf…then the brown wolf is…her?”  Severus asked.

“Yes” Jean answered. “When I took her shopping she was insistent that we had to find “Moody’s” friend.  We went back to store my sister had bought Moody in the year before and she found the black and brown wolves.  When I asked her what she was going to call them, she told me that the black wolf was “Sev’us” and that the brown wolf was her.”

“That is simply amazing” Remus said while shaking his head.  Smiling he added, “She is so beautiful, so tiny…she looks so peaceful”

Roland snickered, “Just wait!  That child has a set of lungs on her and when she isn’t happy she lets you know!”

They all had a laugh at that and then Robin thought that while the little princess slept it would be the perfect time for the boys to ask their questions.  And so for the next couple of hours as Hermione slept on Severus’ the boys took turn asking their questions.  The first ones were just basic ones about the soul bond and what it was like for them.  The stories and history that Robin, Roland and Jean gave on the history of the bonds was fascinating.  Even Irma asked questions about the history of the bond. It was fascinating that the bond had been in Jean’s family line for 700 years.  Irma admitted that even she would be interested in reading some of the family journals spanning the last several centuries.

They finally got around to the question that was the one that they thought about the most.

Severus running his hand, the one that wasn’t holding Hermione, through his hair began, “I guess the question that we have thought about the most is how do we handle all of this being so much older than her.  We don’t have a problem being older and obviously you don’t have a problem with the fact that we are older, but others will.  They will think unkind things and we want to spare Hermione as much ridicule as we possibly can.  It is still going to rile some people up.”

Remus added, “We have one person in our life that will have kittens for sure.  She can’t let it go that Severus and I don’t date.  She’s always trying to fix us up with her friends.” 

Severus chuckled, “Well, that was until we sent a hologram of a huge, monstrous acromantula after her.  She hasn’t tried to set us up since then. We would stay far away from her, but her husband is a good friend and we are her son’s godfathers.”

Robin and Roland started laughing, “Oh my God…you two are going to be a perfect addition to our family!”

Jean just shook her head, “I already have my hands full with those two and I can just imagine what the four of them could come up with.”

“Trust me…some of the things they come up with just leave me shaking my head.  They are absolutely brilliant.  I definitely wouldn’t want to be on the wrong side of them.” Irma smiled at the thought of her boys and what they were capable of.

Robin thought for a moment and then asked, “You both have realized that you won’t be permitted to be with anyone else in a romantic sense?”

Remus acknowledged, “About a year after that night, we attempted to go out on a double date.  The “sparks” made it very, very clear that it wasn’t acceptable.”

Severus added, “We knew we were in trouble when the peace that had been our constant companion since that night, abruptly left and then we experienced an excruciating pain in our chest that took more than an hour to dissipate. We both came to the conclusion rather fast that dating or being with anyone that was not our chosen was totally unacceptable.  We never tried again.”

“Lily however tried over and over.  Hexes, strong words…nothing worked to keep Lily from trying to set us up with her friends.  We finally stopped going to any parties she had until we needed to go to Harry’s birthday party.” Remus sighed.

“When she wouldn’t lay off at Harry’s party, we sent the acromantula after her and she has left us alone.  Now, we are at Hogwarts so we should have a reprieve from her for a while.”  Severus smiled.

Robin agreed, “Well, boys this is going to be new ground for us, too.  All our other children’s soul mates are the same age or 1-3 years older.  We will have to journey this road together.  You are no longer alone in this.  We will now and forevermore be by your sides.  Your struggles will be our struggles.  Your victories are victories.  Your trying times will be ours as well.  Sometime soon we will have you come here and meet with Jean’s sister, Susan and her husbands, John and Scott.  John and Scott are 15 years older than Susan.  I think their insight will be invaluable to all of us as we help you steer these unknown waters.”   

“That sounds like a good place to start” Severus and Remus agreed.

Remus turned and looked out at the ocean and the waves that were flowing in.  Turning back to others he asked, “What can you tell us about the soul marks?”

Roland began, “They will come in on Hermione’s 17th birthday.  Although your souls are linked now, the marks are the beginning on the sealing the bond process.  Over the next year your marks for a better lack of words trigger the bond.  Your feelings for each other will increase, slowly at first and then the closer you get to her 18th birthday the physical desires will really begin to heat up.”

“The desire to seal the bond will be compound by the fact that you will also want to physically seal the bond.”  Robin added his face beginning to turn red.

“Boys!!” Jean admonished. “Leave it to men to complicate it.  In plain terms, Severus and Remus, all of you and this includes Hermione, will feel the draw to become one.  To not put it too bluntly, you will have to fight off the desire to have sex.  Your bodies will begin to crave hers in an almost unbearable thirst.  She will also feel the pull to join with the both of you.  It reaches its peak the week before she turns 18.  We will do everything we can to help you prepare for this.  The worst of it is the Hermione will still be a student at Hogwarts.  We will need to do some research in the years to come to see what precautions will need to be in place for not only her but, both of you as well.”

“It is one of the reasons that you will marry her shortly after her 18th birthday.  It has happened to all of us.  We were fortunate that Jean turned 18 over the summer.”  Robin sighed.  “It has been this way for centuries.  In the early years, 18 was thought of as old.  You had your soul mates and you were together, but your schooling was done by 16.  So it wasn’t an issue when the marks came in at 17 and then to marry at 18.  Actually normal people at that time married so much younger it was actually a blessing to know you got a few extra years to just enjoy being young.  Now though…”

“It’s not such a blessing.”  Roland sighed. “Soul marks come in at 17 and as Jean will be able to explain better they are extremely painful to the female. We could do nothing but hold her tight as the pain went through her.  The males feel a prick and then heat as the name appears.  For whatever reason, the females feel as if they are being branded with a hot iron.  We have watched most of our children receive their marks with their mates and we always feel so helpless at having to watch and not being able to help.”

“I will be able to help prepare you when the time comes.” Jean replied.  “Our next child to receive her mark with be Kathleen when Hermione is 7.  If we can arrange it we will have you come and witness it.  It will then help you to understand what Hermione will go through in 10 years.  Our children, Kayleigh and Kevin will be married come next June.  You will hopefully be able to attend.  The more interaction you have in these events, the more comfortable you will become with it.  It will help you when your time comes.”

“Severus, as you are amazing at potions.  You may be able to create some kind of healing salve or a special healing potion that will help with the marks.”  Robin smiled at Severus knowing that already the wheels were turning in his head.

Then Robin, Roland and Jean glanced at one another and the three lifted their left arms and turned them so that Severus, Remus and Irma could see the soul marks on their wrist.  On Robin and Roland’s wrist was written in a beautiful script “Jean Martha” and on Jean’s wrist in the same beautiful writing was: “Robin Michael Granger and Roland James Granger.” 

Robin looking at Severus and Remus, “When the time comes the name Hermione Jean will appear on your left wrist, with your full names appearing on hers.  I will warn you both now, that as your feelings for her even now are very strong, your feelings and love with multiply a thousand times the moment you see your names ablaze on her wrist.  It is what happened to both of us.  Our love intensified for Jean the moment we saw our names on her wrist.  It is another special moment that changes you forever just as you were forever changed the moment her “soul sparks” entered you.”

Severus and Remus both looked down on the little girl that was still nestled into Severus’ chest.  Holding her and being with her today had sealed their fate once and for all.  The love they felt for this little girl was already overwhelming, they could not even imagine the love for her that they would have as she reached the age where she would then become their wife.  It was a profound moment to reflect upon and as they did Hermione began to stir.  With her eyes still mostly closed she looked up at Severus and smiled, “Sev’us…wuv you.” Then she closed her eyes and sighed.  Then opening her eyes she looked right at Remus and smiled, “wuv you too, Re…mus” 

She began to really wake up then, but both boys had been left speechless.  As Irma looked on she couldn’t hold the tears back that had begun to fall.  It was one of those moments that you knew you would never forget. When Irma glanced over to Jean she saw that Jean had let her tears fall too.  Irma reached out and took her hand and gave it a squeezed.  She quietly whispered, “She is going to change them completely.”

Jean smiled back at Irma and squeezing her hand said, “They will also change her.  She will love deeply and be loved just as deeply.  She will protect their hearts just as they will protect hers.  They will grow together…even with Severus and Remus being so much older, she will guide them in ways they would never dream that she would.  The fun part is we will get to watch it happen.  I am so happy to have you join our family as well as the boys.”  Jean leaned over and gave Irma a hug as they sat back and watched to see what Hermione would do next.

When Hermione was fully awake, she stretched and then to Severus’ surprised she leaned up and gave him a kiss on his cheek.  The shocked look on Severus’ face was priceless.  Then she hopped down off his lap and went over and climbed right up in Remus lap, but before she sat down she leaned up and gave Remus a kiss on his cheek.  She then proceed to snuggle into Remus’ chest snuggling her wolves.  They were all quiet for a bit as they just watched Hermione with Remus, just taking in the sight of her with her mates.

While Robin was watching his daughter with Remus, he spoke to the boys, “There is something that I would like you to think about and we can discuss it more the next time we visit.  Roland and I were not only Jean’s soul mates but her protectors.  Seeing as we are only 6 months older we were able to be both.  With both of you being older you will need to find two boys that you trust that are her same age.  They will be her protectors when you can’t be with her.  I know it may seem unnecessary at this time, but trust me it will be needed at some point.  Although you know that Hermione is yours and others will know, there unfortunately (for them) will be those that will not take “NO” for an answer.  It is at this time that Hermione will need her protectors.  They will be able to help her combat stupidness from hormonal teenage boys.”

Roland chuckled, “Oh God, we had this one kid, Bob who just wouldn’t leave Jean alone.  We ended up hexing him a good one, he didn’t like being hairy all over and finally he surrendered and gave up once we made it clear that if he didn’t leave her alone we would leave him like that permanently.  I really thought we were going to have to do something even more serious to him to get him to back off.  Thank goodness that looking like a hairy animal was enough.”

“I’d love to say it won’t happen, but it will.  It’s happened to everyone.  John and Scott had their friends’ kids be Susan’s protectors.  It is a safety measure, mostly for Hermione.  You will also be relieved that there is someone looking out for her when you can’t.” Robin finished

Severus and Remus both acknowledged that they understood.  They both looked at each other already knowing who those two boys would be.  All they would need to do is talk to Lucius and James and tell them what had happened to them. 

After a little bit they all got up to stretch and head down to the beach.  Hermione put her wolves in her pockets so she could hold both Severus and Remus’ hands.  She chattered on and on about the ocean, shells, waves, seagulls and just about anything else she could think of.  Her parents and Irma just stayed back a little ways and watched Hermione with her boys.  Robin held Jean’s hand as they walked.  He whispered in her ear, “The “sparks” are never wrong.  Every time I see it for the first time, it never ceases to amaze me just how amazing it is.  They are so perfect for her.”

Jean smiled looking up at Robin and then looking over at Roland, who had been listening, “She will give the both of them a run for their money, that’s for sure.”

Irma added in, “and they will both love every minute of it!”

The four of them laughed and continue their walk down the shore.  A little later after they had come back and talked some more, it was getting late and they knew the time was coming to say their goodbyes.

Both Severus and Remus felt the lumps in their throats, as they knew they would have to say good-bye to Hermione for a little while.  How could it be this hard, they were both wondering.

Robin told them they would send them the information for Hermione’s birthday party.  He said family events were always big and it would be the perfect time for them to introduce the boys and Irma to the rest of the family.  They agreed and said they couldn’t wait.

As they walked inside to the living room to say their goodbyes.  Severus and Remus’ both knelt down in front of Hermione.  Severus took the present out of his pocket and together they both gave it to her.

Severus softly said, “We bought this for you, little one.  We wanted you to have something special to remember our first meeting.”

“It will grow as you grow so that you will be able to wear it always.”  Remus added.

Hermione grinned and quickly opened the present.  Inside was the beautiful silver bracelet that the boys had bought her with their initials intertwined with hers.  She gave a loud squealed and grabbed both boys holding on tight.  “Thank you, Sev’us and Re…mus.  It is so pretty.  I like it very much.”

She let go of them and they could tell that she felt the loss as much as they did.  The wee little girl had woven herself into their hearts in a single afternoon and both boys knew that life as they knew it had forever been changed and they were more than okay with that.

Severus bent down and picked her up in his arms, holding her close.  Remus circled around to her back and leaned over helping Severus support her.  At the same time both boys leaned in and put their foreheads on each side of her head.  Then whispering to her and her alone, both boys told her they loved her and that they would see her very soon and to be a good little one until they could come back to her.  Then they both gave her a kiss and just stood there holding her for a few minutes.  As they stood there the bonds that held them together as one strengthen the hold they had on them.  The peace that had been there erupted into all three of them, showering them in the love that would begin to grow stronger from that day forward.  At the very moment the journey to become one would begin, their hearts beating together as one…they all felt the completeness that would consume them…always.

As they handed Hermione to Robin, her little tears and sobs ripped right through their souls.  They could feel their own tears threatening to fall.  They both told Hermione that they would see her very soon and if she wanted to send them a letter, or picture or anything, all she had to do was ask her daddies or mummy and they would send them for her.  “Be brave little one” Severus said.  “We are always with you, even when we are apart” Remus told her.

Severus, Remus and Irma thanked the Grangers for a wonderful time.  They said their goodbyes and left heading back to Hogwarts.  When they arrived home, the boys let their tears fall.  Irma just held them both as she let her tears come, she had felt it, too.  Hermione Jean Granger had woven herself so deeply into all of their hearts, that they would never be the same.

Once everyone had control of their emotions again. Severus looked over at Remus and casually stated, “Well, I think it’s time we let Lucius know what has happened to us.”

Remus shook his head, “How do you think that’s going to go?”

Severus laughed, “Knowing Lucius…it’s going to be epic!”

Irma and Remus both joined Severus in having a good laugh.  Oh Lucius!  You best beware!


	11. Leaving Lucius and James Speechless

**_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ **

**_August_ ** **_27, 1983_ **

 

Remus and Severus had just finished making final preparations for the arrival of the children next week when they sat down to discuss how they were going to tell Lucius and James about them being soul bound to the same girl and that said girl was going to turn 4 in a month.

They both sighed loudly, “This is either going to go one of two ways.  They will either except it completely and not see a problem or they will have us committed the Janis Thickey ward at St. Mungos.” Severus commented

“Lucius is our oldest and dearest friend, not to mention he is our mentor.  I think that he will be shocked, but he will totally support us.  It probably will not surprise him at all that we will want to have Draco be one of Hermione’s protectors.  I still want to know more about this, I can admit though that she will need protecting from stupid boys and with us being teachers it would not be feasible for us to be with her every moment.” Remus replied

“I bet we can put the fear of God in them though.” Severus laughed

“Oh there is no doubt there, my friend!  If they can’t learn the lesson the easy way then detentions with Filch will become their new pastime.”  Remus chuckled. “I’m sure detentions with Filch are still as horrid as they were when we were students.  I heard James and Sirius complain more than once about them.”

“You would have figured they would have figured that out after the first dozen times.  No, it took them until they ended up with those 5 months straight from Minerva and Slughorn.” Severus added

“Oh yes!  You should have seen their faces when they came back from having to clean the bathrooms with a toothbrush.”  Remus was laughing uncontrollably now.  “I thought they were going to pass out!  Both of them ended up running to our bathroom and promptly depositing their dinners.” 

“Excellent!!  I’m surprise they kept it in that long.  The bathrooms can get nasty quickly.” Severus snickered

“I think Slughorn told the elves not to clean them all day.  He was so pissed that they cause not one but four cauldrons to explode that day.”  Remus continued to laugh.

“Oh god, that goo was impossible to get off, too!  I think the whole class had it out for them for a while.”  Severus chuckled

“They did.  The girls had an awful time getting it out of their hair.  I’m glad we only got hit with a little of it.  Poor Mary and Beth were covered head to toe.  I think Mary hexed both of them good a few days later as James and Sirius had to use cushioning charms to sit.”  Remus roared with laughter

“Serves them right” Severus agreed.  “So about our dilemma?  Let’s tell Lucius first.  I’ll send a letter tonight to see if he and Cissy are available tomorrow for lunch.  As it is the last Sunday before the kids get here it may be our only chance for a while to let him know.  I want to talk to Robin and Roland at Hermione’s birthday party about setting up a play date with Harry and Draco, so she can get to know her protectors and they can get to know her.  The way I see it, she knows that we are hers. I think she will also realize what Harry and Draco will be to her and that we will put our trust in them to protect her when we can't be around. It can’t hurt for us to introduce her to them so they can be friends at this age, too.”

“That sounds like a good plan.  You write the letter to Lucius and I’m going to write a quick letter to Robin and Roland letting them know what we are doing and asking if they think that would be a smart thing to do.  It will give them time to ask John and Scott if they need to seeing as they had to find protectors for Susan.”  Remus thought.  “Then we can figure out just how much to tell them.”

“Sounds good.  Let’s get the letters done and sent and then we’ll head down to the Great Hall for dinner.  I’m starved.”  At that moment Severus stomach grumbled.

Both boys laughed and headed to their desks to write their respective letters.  This was going to interesting.

**_Later that evening_ **

When the boys returned to their rooms after visiting with the other teachers for a bit, the two owls were waiting for them.  The owl that Remus had sent had brought back a package with it.  Both of them looked at the package curiously. 

“I wonder what they sent?”  Remus said as he picked up the box.

“Let’s read the attached letter, first.”  Severus picked up the letter and began to read it. “It’s from Jean.  She said to use the Enlargeo charm on it, but to do it carefully as there is glass in there.”

Remus did as he was instructed and the box enlarged to its original size.  He carefully opened the box to find several picture frames.  Remus picked up the first one and gently turned it over.  There looking back at him was a picture of them kneeling before Hermione right before she jumped into Severus’ arms.

Remus looked at Severus who was just starring at the picture.  “How did she get this?”  It’s perfect.  Look at the smile on Hermione’s face as she recognized you.”

Severus was still trying to recover from seeing the picture of Hermione from this angle. The happiness she was feeling just radiated off of her.  The next picture showed Hermione’s reaction to recognizing Remus.  Again the smile on her face was priceless.  Severus reached for the next one and turned it over and there was a picture of Hermione sleeping on his chest.  Severus had to sit down as seeing Hermione sleeping so peaceful without a care in the world on his chest had totally taken his breath away.  They decided that sitting down was probably best before they continued to look at the rest of the pictures in the box.  The next one was Hermione snuggling Remus after her nap.  Then there was one of them each holding Hermione’s hands as they walked on the beach with her.  The one that brought tears to both their eyes was the next one.  Somehow they had taken the picture at the exact moment that she was in their arms and both of them had given her a kiss.  Her eyes were closed and she was hanging on to them.  The look on her face spoke of the love she felt for both of them.  There were actually two of those in the box.  The last picture was one they must have taken after they had left and there were two of this one, too.  You could still see the tear tracks that had run down her little face when they had said their goodbyes.  She had her three wolves out in front of her and she had moved her hand so we could see the bracelet on her wrist and she was smiling, a big smile meant just for us.  There were several loose copies of that one in the bottom wrapped in paper so they weren’t damaged during the flight. They were all so beautiful and had captured the special moments that had happened throughout the day.  Both boys felt slightly overwhelmed at the moment and just how amazing it was that they now had these in their possession. 

“I wasn’t expecting that at all” Remus said looking at Severus, “What else did Jean say in her letter?”

“I wasn’t expecting that either, Remus but I’m very pleased to have them.  We can put them on the mantles in here and in the library room.  It looks like we have an extra one of Hermione that we can give to mum.  She will love it! You can tell she is already in love with that little one.” Severus smiled.  How could one so small have so much love to give already, it was mind blowing but he didn’t care.  To think that the love they had for her would only grow deeper as the years passed was something he just couldn’t fathom right now.  He didn’t doubt it, no not one bit.  That little girl had wrapped herself so completely around his heart that at times Severus found it hard to breathe.  He was sure that Remus felt the same way.  It was life changing, in such a special and good way.  He would let himself reflect back on this later.

He looked at the letter and began to read the rest of it to Remus.  In it, Jean explained that one of their house elves, Blinky was the taker of the pictures.  She had the uncanny ability of being able to capture special moments perfectly.  She would send them some more of the pictures that she had taken in a few days, but she had wanted the boys to have these as soon as possible.  She had figured if Hermione was going through major withdrawals of being separated from them that it was safe to assume that we were also having withdrawal pains.  The pictures were meant to keep our spirits up until we could visit again.  She had been right on.  Remus and I were both struggling with separation anxiety and the pictures would do just what Jean had said they would.  She went on to say she had sent Irma a package with pictures for her to have of all of us.  We would have to check with mum to see if she got the same ones or if she had different ones.  What a wonderful thoughtful jester for her to send pictures to our mum, too.  She went on to tell us that Hermione now had her own wall of pictures of the three of us and that in the last few days she had found Hermione sleeping with not only the three wolves but the two individual pictures she had of the two of us.  Jean had joked that they were going to need to get her a bigger bed. 

In closing, she told us that Robin and Roland had gone over to see John and Scott about what Remus had asked about as far as the protectors went.  She had told us to expect their letter first thing in the morning before we left for the Malfoys with the answer.  Jean had added that she was almost positive that Susan had met her protectors early on and the friendship they formed early on had made it that much easier when she had to rely and trust them to protect her from “obnoxious dunderheaded boys”.  At the end of the letter Hermione had asked if she could send them some kisses from her.  So in blue crayon at the bottom of Jean’s letter were 10 x’s representing her kisses. 

Remus looked at Severus quietly saying, “We are going to need to get a special box to keep all the letters and drawings she sends us.”  Severus smiled and added his agreement. Then both boys looked down on the all the little “kisses” that had come from their little one.

After a short time, they looked up as Severus', black owl hooted.  Oops…they had forgotten all about Lucius reply went they got side-tracked looking at the pictures.  Severus stood up and walked over to “Coal” apologizing for forgetting him.  Severus gave them both an extra helping of owl treats and called to their house elf, Tootles asking if he would please bring the owls some sausages.  Tootles immediately popped away and was back seconds later with the owls’ favorite sausages.  Having pacified the owls for now, Severus walked back over to the couch and opened the letter from Lucius.  Lucius had replied that they would be ecstatic to have both of them for lunch tomorrow.  They had selected the time of 11:30 and they would be patiently waiting with baited breath for their arrival at that time.  Remus just laughed.  Lucius had such a way with words and they knew he was just jesting them.  It would be nice to finally be able to tell someone else about their unusual circumstances and have their support on their side.  It would be important to have Lucius and Cissy support if they were going to have Draco as one of Hermione’s protectors in the future.

With everything settled for the night, both boys took their pictures of Hermione and the ones of both of them holding her on the patio and made their way to their bedrooms knowing their dreams would be filled with the little girl that had stolen their hearts.

In the morning, they quickly went up to see their mum.  She had received copies of all the pictures that they had and one of her and Hermione by the ocean.  It was beautiful and both boys hoped that one of those pictures would be included in the next batch.  If not they would have to write asking for it.  The pure joy on Irma and Hermione’s faces made that photo a must have for their collection.  They let her know they were going over to talk to Lucius and Cissy about what had happened to them and to tell them about Hermione.  They were also going to tell them at some point they were going to want Draco and Harry to be her protectors and see if they would be supportive of that.  They let her know that they would be back in time to have dinner with her.  She kissed them goodbye and wished them luck.  Irma knew that this was very important to them because Lucius was like a big brother to them.  His approval would go a long way in helping the boys in the years to come.  She completely agreed in their choices of protectors, Draco and Harry were perfect.  They would do the job well.

When Severus and Remus returned to their rooms, the Grangers beautiful snowy white owl, Buttons was waiting for them.  After giving all three owls a treat, they went over to the couch to read what Robin and Roland had found out.  The letter from the Granger men put the boys’ minds at ease.  They said that John and Scott had introduced Susan to her protectors when she was almost 5 and the boys had been 4.  They had become the best of friends and that friendship bond grew even stronger once the boys were informed of their roles of protector at 10.  They saw no reason not to let Lucius and Cissy know of their intent once they had told them of their soul bond with Hermione, to which they wished the boys luck.  It is not an easy conversation to have but if they are true friends, then they will understand and after the shock wears off be very happy for you.  They went on to say that the play date was a great idea and that if the boys could not escape the castle for a weekend in October that perhaps they could all meet in their rooms if it was allowed.  If they could get away they were open to either having everyone at the house or for them to come over to the house and then we could all go together to the Malfoys.  They could discuss things more at Hermione’s party.  They had let on that Hermione was not dealing well with the separation and kept asking when they were coming back.  She wasn’t very happy that we wouldn’t be coming until her birthday.  She had thrown a severe temper tantrum and had landed herself in a time out which had been harder on them, then her. If they were able to see her once a month, at holiday time and over the summer that would help with her separation issues.  She would be able to count down the days and she would know when you were coming. Remus and Severus both let a sigh of relieve go.  So, now they just had the tell Lucius and Cissy what was happening and at some point they would also have to talk to James without Lily.  There was absolutely no way in hell that they were going to let Lily know what was going on.

**_Malfoy Manor_ **

**_Sunday, August 28, 1983 @ 11:25_ **

Severus and Remus apparated to the front gates of Malfoy Manor with 5 minutes to spare.  They rang the bell and were greeted by the Malfoy’s house elf, Monty.  He led them into the sitting room, and as they entered, two boys ran up to them and jumped into their arms. 

“Uncle Sev’us and Uncle Remus” both boys squealed at once.  “We been waiting for hours and ‘ours for u to get here.”

Severus and Remus both laughed and hugged the boys before letting them down so they could run off into another part of the room.  It was then that they both noticed James.

“James, I didn’t know you’d be here, too.” Severus said and then looked around nervously for Lily.

“Don’t worry Severus, Remus, she isn’t here.  I needed to escape the house for awhile.  She is in evil Lily mode right now and it’s not safe to be at home.” James sighed

“Tell them ‘why’ she is in ultra-evil mode.  Go on tell them.” Lucius said as he roared with laughter.

“It’s not funny, Lucius” James huffed

“Oh yes…yes it is” Lucius snickered much to James dismay.

“Okay, please someone tell us what’s going on already.  Oh the suspense, you drama queens!” Remus laughed

James just let out a heavy sigh and looking at Severus and Remus said, “We just found out that Lily is pregnant.”

“Holy fuckin’ fuck!!” both Severus and Remus said at once. 

“I feel so sorry for you and Harry.  She was in ultimate bitch mode the whole time she was pregnant with Harry.  I guess you’ll be spending a lot of time away from home over the next 7 months.” Severus laughed “Oh god, I feel so sorry for you, I really do!”

“Now, boys be nice.  It’s not easy being pregnant, and we all know that Lily is not the picture perfect example of a happy pregnant woman.  We need to support poor James here, he’s going to need it!” Cissy started giggling hysterically.

“I’m so doomed!” James just lowered his head.  Of all the rotten things that could’ve happened this was the worse.

With that they all sat down to have lunch and pick on James some more, because it really was just the worst thing that could have happened to him.  They had talked to Severus and Remus asking if they were all ready for their first terms as teachers.  Draco and Harry had added their opinions into the mix ‘of how they couldn’t wait to be old enough to go to Hogwarts and learn from their Uncle Sev’us and Remus’.  They were both positive that they would end up in Slytherin together much to James dismay.  Severus just smiled.  Now, that would be a total disturbance of epic proportions on the Lily scale.  He silently thought to himself that it would be so worth it to see the look on her face when James had to tell her that Harry had been sorted into Slytherin.  He wondered if the hat could be bribed. 

Cissy took the boys up and settled them down for a nap.  When she returned and they all sat down around the fire.  Severus cleared his throat, looked at Remus for support and began.

“This actually worked out better than we thought.  We were going to need to talk to you alone at some point James and well, now we only have to do this once.  There is something of great importance that we need to tell and discuss with you.  The only thing Remus and I are going to ask at this point is that you let us explain things first and then you can ask questions.” Severus began

“We also ask that you keep an open mind with what we are about to tell you and we must ask that for now, that it does not leave this room and that you don’t share any of this with anyone else.  Okay?” Remus added

“Oh my god…so you are gay” Cissy exclaimed “You know you could have told us before. It doesn’t matter to us.”

Severus pinched the bridge of his nose and Remus just sighed, loudly.

With a bit of snark in his voice, Severus told them, “No…we are NOT GAY!!” then lowering his voice Severus began to tell the story.

“On September 19th, 1979 at 3:30 in the morning, Remus and I were both awaken with a searing pain in our chest that was immediately followed by a sense of peace that was so great it was overwhelming.  As we both fell back into sleep, we each had a vision of a baby girl with brown hair.  We discovered recently that what we had thought was a soul bond of some kind is just that.  Since that day in September, we have been guided by that peace.  For the first time in Remus’ life the wolf within him, is and has been at peace since that moment.  I noticed the peace when I made the decision not to be Dumbledore’s spy.  For the last almost 4 years we have let that peace lead us.  When we follow the peace it leads us in the way we should go and positive things happen, when we go against the peace we have suffered very unpleasant bordering on disastrous consequences.  Irma Pince, who we acknowledge as our mum, has spent the last 4 years researching soul bonds trying to help us figure out what our bond is.  The end of July, she had a breakthrough.  She found a book by Bernice Mitchell, whose family has years and generations of family that have the same soul bond as we do.  It is a bond that is fiercely protective of its members.  It expects the utmost faithfulness to the one for whom you are sealed for.”

Remus took over, “Last weekend we met our soul mate for the first time and her family.  The bond was strengthen and the feeling of completeness was overwhelming.  Holding her, talking to her, just being with her was like heaven on earth to both, Severus and myself.  We can’t even begin to describe the feelings that flooded our souls being with her.  What we are about to tell you is the hardest part of the bond to understand.  Her name is Hermione and she has two fathers and one mum.  Severus and I are both ‘her’ soul mates, both of us.  We are bound to her just as strongly as she is bound to us.  When she was born, her soul let go two soul ‘sparks’.  The only purpose of these two sparks is to search high and low, near and far the whole world over to find the two perfect mates that are worthy of this gift and that will complete her and eventually the three will become one.  Her soul ‘sparks’ chose Severus and me.  Last week we acknowledged and accepted the bond that we share with Hermione.  We felt our souls merge with hers.  It will deepen as she ages.”

Severus nervously ran his fingers through his hair, “This next part will be the most shocking part to hear, please remember when you process what we are about to tell you, her soul ‘sparks’ chose us…we didn’t have any choice in the matter but we have excepted it with our whole hearts.  We wouldn’t change it and we are completely okay with it as are her parents.  They said it doesn’t happen often but it has happened in the past and will again in the future.  In fact, Jean’s sister, Susan faced the same issue that Hermione will face and Susan’s husbands, John and Scott have faced the issues that we will.  They have already acknowledged their willingness to guide us in the years to come.” Severus took a deep breath, and looking at the three of them sitting there with stunned looks on their faces, “At this time, Hermione is a month away from her 4th birthday.”

Severus and Remus stood there and watched as what they had just told them began to register.  Lucius opened his mouth to say something, but only a squeak was heard.  He shut his mouth and tried again, nothing.  James was trying to get words to come out but he had nothing.  Cissy just sat there with her hand over her mouth and tears in her eyes. 

Severus looked at Remus and both of them grinned, then Severus laughed and said to Remus, “Quick take a picture we have left Lucius and James speechless”

Cissy was the first to recover, “That’s why you don’t date. You are spoken for and to do so would be…”

“Incredibly painful and something we never, ever wanted to repeat” laughed Remus.  “We tried to go out on a date once, about a year after that September night.  It became abundantly clear that the bond we had was very insistent that we were not to have any kind of relationship with another female.”

“Yes…and from that point on we have done our best to stay away from situations where we could be compromised.” Severus added looking over at James

James finally recovered, “That’s why you would get so upset every time Lily would set you up.  No wonder you had to take drastic measures.  I’m sorry, my friends.  If I had known, I might have been able to dissuade her.”

Severus laughed, “You’re joking right.  When have you ever been able to dissuade Lily from doing anything?  She is a nightmare!”

“We couldn’t tell you anything at that time.  We weren’t sure ourselves at that point.  Since then we’ve learned that when we don’t have the peace, we don’t do anything.  The peace left immediately as we picked the girls up, then about 2 minutes into the date, we were both hit with stabbing pains in our chests.  It took mum over an hour to get the pain to dissipate and our breathing to return to normal.  We knew then that the bond or whatever it was had spoken very clearly.  We would not be able to be with anyone other than our mate, which we know now is Hermione.  So, just as she will be a virgin when we seal the bond after she turns 18, so will we.” Remus smiled relieved that they seemed to be taking it so well.

Severus then added, “Robin and Roland, Hermione’s dads confirmed that when we met with them last week.  We don’t need to be reminded on that, again.  The truth is we just don’t have any desire to date and we haven’t since that night.  The only reason we even did it was because we thought well why not.  They had been asking us to go out with them after an Order meeting for months, and I guess we figured if we went out it would get Lily off our backs and quiet the whole gay rumors thing.  We learned really quick that it was the totally wrong reason to do something.”

Cissy looked remorseful, “I’m so sorry that I said that about being gay. I just wanted you to know that we would support you no matter what.  I’m sorry, but I am so excited about this.  Do you know how rare soul bonds are and this one seems even more rare than most.”

“You are forgiven, Cissy.  Think nothing of it.  It was hard to ignore people’s insinuations and it did really seem that the signs were all there. Lily, of course did not help things at all.” Severus then gave Cissy his trademark smirk, “Besides it was extra fun to send the acromantulas after her!  We are perfecting our spells and charms so the next time we can send a whole army of them after her and they will be incredibly realistic.”

“Oh good lord, help me” James laughed.  Even he enjoyed watching the spiders chase Lily and her screaming as she tried to get away from them.

Lucius still hadn’t said anything and the look on his face was absolutely priceless.  Finally, he shook his head, said he needed a drink and then decided he didn’t.

Looking at both Remus and Severus, Lucius finally spoke, “My friends, that is wonderful. I still am somewhat speechless and feel as if I’ve been run over by the Hogwarts Express, but truly what has happened to you is a wonderful gift that will be a major blessing to everyone concerned.  That her parents have already heartily accepted you into the family speaks volumes of not only their character but just how open they are at accepting what has happened.  From the sounds of it, they already plan to include you in decisions regarding Hermione and your futures.  That they wish to guide you and help you overcome the obstacles that you are sure to encounter with the age difference that is between you is outstanding for both of you.  I think it is beyond amazing.  Let me be the first to congratulate you!  If anyone deserves to have a love that transcends boundaries and time it is the both of you.  I cannot wait to meet your little Hermione.”

Remus looked over to Severus and then to Lucius, Cissy and James “That actually brings us to the next thing that we need to talk to you about. Robin and Roland explained to us that we would need to choose two protectors for her, so that as she grew they would be there to watch over and protect her when we couldn’t be.  It’s mainly to keep her safe from stupid dunderhead boys that may try to compromise her before it’s time to seal the bond.  At 17 our soul marks will come in, which for Severus and me ~ Hermione’s name will appear on our left wrists and at the same time our names will appear on hers, and as they explained, the physical…sexual desires will begin to come in to play at that time.  They will reach their peak right before Hermione turns 18. We will then get married and seal our bonds at that time. Our feelings for her will begin to increase rapidly at the time as well.  We aren’t really sure what it all means right now, but they were adamant about us having these protectors in place. We are sure that as time goes on they will explain more and more to us and then in turn we can tell you”

Severus continued, “Hermione will be going to Hogwarts at the same time that Draco and Harry will.  They will be in the same year.  Remus and I have both agreed that having them be her protectors would be best.  They will be in her classes and therefore able to discourage others from bothering her or trying to make a play at her when she gets older. It will not be an issue with her as she will only have eyes for the two of us.  Robin and Roland both assured us that it will be needed and gave us a rather fun example of a Bob that didn’t take the hint and was unfortunately turned into a hairy beast until he agreed to leave Jean alone.  They are only 6 months older than Jean so they were able to also assume the role of protectors.  The reason we need the boys is that we are teachers and it would not be respectable if we were beating up on boys that formed an interest in Hermione.  Although with being teachers, we are in our rights to assign them detention if we should see fit.” 

“We would like you to think about it.  We wrote to Robin and Roland last night to ask if it would be acceptable to have Draco and Harry meet Hermione.  To establish a friendship between the three.  John and Scott said that Susan, met her protectors when she was almost 5 and the boys were 4.  They said that a solid friendship was formed before the boys found out at 10 that they would also be her protectors.  Robin and Roland thought it would be great to have a play date in October, either here at the manor or at their home in Littlehampton.  We will be seeing them when we attend Hermione’s birthday party in September and can finalize plans then if you agree.” Remus finished

“James, I know we are asking a lot of you to not tell any of this to Lily, but we would really appreciate it if you could just keep it between us for now.  At some point, we will have to tell her so she doesn’t do something stupid.  I suppose that if she does try to set us up again, you could simply tell her that Remus and I are spoken for.  Hopefully it won’t be necessary.  I think just mentioning large spiders would enough of a hint.” Severus laughed

“Severus, Remus this is one secret I have no problem keeping for you.  I give you my word that Lily will not find out about this from me.  Seeing as I’m sure she will turn into psycho bitch at some point in her pregnancy, it will give Harry and me the perfect excuse to escape.  I don’t need to think on it.  Harry is yours, as your Godson he will consider it an honor to be your future wife’s protector.” James bowed his head to Severus and Remus.

Lucius chimed in, “As is Draco…we would never deny you this.  You both have been the brothers I never had.  That you honor us with this request means so much to the both of us.” Cissy nodded her head in agreement. “Draco will consider it an honor to be Hermione’s protector as your Godson.”

Cissy added, “Make your plans and let us know when and where you would like us to bring Draco to meet the Grangers.  Our home is yours to use if needed.  We cannot wait to meet your new family.  Most importantly we can’t wait to meet the little girl that already has you wrapped around her fingers.”  Cissy gave them a knowing look.

Remus nodded at Severus and Severus removed the picture of Hermione that they had brought to show them.  He handed it to Cissy who was in the middle between Lucius and James.  All three looked down at the picture of the little girl with brown hair tightly holding her three wolves.

Lucius exclaimed, “She has both of you in wolf form!!”  At that Severus and Remus busted out in laughter.  It had gone surprisingly well. Their friends had accepted their bond with Hermione as if it was the most common thing to happen.  They hadn’t even glitch when they found out she was still a little girl.  They were both exceedingly relieved that their friends had taken the news so well. That Lucius and James had no reservations at all about Draco and Harry being Hermione’s protectors had really warmed their hearts.  As they looked on, they watched the three excitedly chatter over the picture of Hermione saying just how beautiful she was and how they were sure that Draco and Harry would just love being her friend. The three of them were absolutely, positively sure that as they grew and the friendship bond strengthen and merged into the protector one, they were totally convinced that Draco and Harry would protect her with their lives and nothing or no one would ever hurt her.

Yes…indeed things had gone very, very well.


	12. Celebrating Hermione's 4th Birthday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there will be one or two more chapters in 1983 unless I decided to do one on their 1st Christmas together. If you want a first Christmas together chapter let me know and I'm sure I can be persuaded to do it. Then we are time jumping to when Hermione is 8, at least 2 chapters there. Then things will speed up again and we'll be on our way to Hogwarts. Where the real fun will begin :)

Time had flown for our boys. They had their hands full with their students and the word "dunderhead" had took on new meaning. Severus had 10 different cauldron explosions to deal with the first full week of school. When the 3rd year class had 6 blow up in a matter of minutes that was it and the entire class ended up in detention with Filch. Severus helped supervise the detention as he thought that giving Filch 26 kids to deal with was a bit much even for him. Severus had asked Remus to help out and between the three of them, they were sure that particular class would not be making that mistake again for a long time.

They had received something from the Grangers owl, Buttons every day.  Some days they had received Buttons twice.  Jean had explained that Hermione had found peace and contentment in drawing pictures for them and her separation anxiety was much better.  She would still find her crying whilst cradling her wolves, but it was better than the first week had been.  Severus and Remus took time each evening to send her a letter thanking her for the beautiful drawings which were now covering their bedroom walls.  Most of her drawings were of wolves - the three of them, off on some exciting adventure that her mind had conjured up.  Jean was teaching her to write and they were now receiving letters as well as the drawings.  Remus had transfigured a rock into a beautiful chest to hold her letters in.  Severus had placed the wards around it so that only the two of them could open it.  They had also made one for Hermione so that she would have something special to keep their letters in.  They had both received a picture of Hermione, the next day proudly holding her chest with the 3 wolves placed inside with their letters.  They were both extremely grateful that Hermione's birthday was the coming weekend as the urge to see her had been growing steadily over the last week.  They chalked it up to something that had to do with the bond and just accepted it as they had everything else up to this point.

The second week into term, Severus and Remus had asked to meet with Albus and Minerva. They had confided in Filius about Hermione about a week after their visit with her, he had been very excited for the boys and had listened intently to the story of what had happened to them, agreeing that it was indeed a very rare and special event that they had experienced. He had instantly agreed to accompanied them and be their supporter when they went to Albus. The boys wanted to ask to be allowed to have a weekend off every month so that they could to go and visit Hermione explaining about the separation anxiety that they all felt. They also wanted them both to have an understanding of what would happen down the road when she came to Hogwarts. They had spent the next 2 hours explaining everything to them starting at the beginning and ending with their first meeting almost a month ago. They then handed them some of the pictures of their first meeting. It did not slip their attention that Hermione cradled three wolves, two of which looked identical to Severus and Remus in their wolf forms. To the boys overwhelming surprise and relief, both Albus and Minerva had been ecstatic with the news. They were both surprised but exceedingly happy that they had been given such a special gift. Minerva had admitted that she had been curious as to who the little girl was in all the pictures in Irma's rooms since she had visited for tea a week ago. Irma had just smiled and said that when the boys were ready to tell their story that she would know. All of them agreed that there would be obstacles to deal with down the road, but as Hermione was only just now turning 4, they would have time to put safeguards into place to protect not only them, but Hermione, too. For now they had time on their side. Albus said he would arrange with some of the other teachers to cover their Head of House duties on the weekends that they were gone. Minerva volunteered to cover Gryffindors and on weekends that Irma also wanted to visit, she would also cover the library or find others to help with that. Filius had told them he would be more than happy to cover Slytherin and Ravernclaw Head of House duties on those weekends. They would get together at least once a month to discuss what was happening. Albus had stated that he would begin researching what kind of considerations would need to be put into place when Hermione reached the age of maturity at 17 and their soul marks came in. They would also work on what would happen when her 18th birthday arrived and they sealed their bond and were married. Although Hermione would technically still be a student then, they could also speed up her education so that she could then come back and complete her 7th year as an apprentice. The other consideration would be the fact that she would return from the bonding ceremony pregnant and that would also need to be addressed. Albus was confident that everything could and would be in place before she stepped foot in the castle at 11. Albus had then made a request that Severus and Remus talk to Robin, Roland and Jean and invite them to bring Hermione and spend a day in the castle. It would be important to establish a relationship with the parents to help them put the protections in place for her and the boys.

They had wanted to surprise Hermione and arrive on Friday night but complications came up that made it impossible for them to leave until morning.  Her present was wrapped and waiting.  The last 2 weeks had been spent with Minerva and Filius who had helped them create a stunning music box that had a full moon behind a castle with 3 wolves running around it.  The wolves would run around the castle as the music played.  They had programmed it to play 5 different melodies.  Irma had cried when the boys had showed it to her.  She was certain that Hermione would be enchanted with it and she could imagine her holding her wolves and entering the land of dreams listening to the music that the box would play.  Filius had added the charms that would allow the box to continue to play until Hermione fell asleep.  It would soothe her and comfort her while they were apart. They were positive that she would love it.

Severus and Remus had received a letter from Robin and Roland two days before the birthday party.  They had thought it would be best to brace the boys on what a birthday party entailed for their family so the boys weren't  totally caught off guard.  The boys had been very grateful for the warning as they would be meeting for the first time all of Hermione's brothers and sisters, their husbands, wives, cousins, soul mates (to the ones that weren't yet married) and also most of Jean's brothers and sisters, husbands, wives, children and if that wasn't enough they would also be meeting Martha and her husbands, Hermione's grandparents.  Just the thought of all those people were overwhelming, but as Irma was quick to point out, they would have the total support of all these people and they would never again be alone ~ just the two of them. They now had a huge family that would love them just as Hermione and her parents loved them.  Feeling a little more relaxed after Irma's pep talk, they were also excited at being able to finally meet John and Scott as Robin had said that they were really looking forward to talking to both of them.  So with that little bit of insight, they finished preparations for Saturday.

Seeing as they weren't able to leave on Friday like they had originally planned, Albus surprised them and told them they didn't have to be back until Tuesday morning, the 20th for lessons.  That way they could spend Hermione's actually birthday with her.  The boys had been so happy and had thank Albus immensely for giving them such a wonderful gift.  He also gave the boys a present to give to Hermione.  He was sure that she was destine to worm her way into all of their hearts.  Minerva, Filius, Lucius along with Cissy and Draco, and James & Harry had also sent gifts for the boys to take to her. Severus had mentioned that they should save these gifts to give Hermione on her actual birthday so she would have something to open.  Remus and Irma agreed that with so many gifts to be given it would be nice to save most of the ones that they brought until Monday.  Albus had also given Irma off until Tuesday knowing that it would be important to Irma to spend this first birthday together with the girl that would one day be her daughter. 

After they all doubled checked to make sure that they had all the gifts and their bags were packed for their weekend away from Hogwarts, they headed out to apparate to the Grangers home.

 

**_Granger Residence_ **

**_Saturday, September 17, 1983_ **

**_Hermione's 4th Birthday_ **

 

 

When they arrived at the Grangers home, they could immediately hear the loud noises of laughing, screaming children and the chatter of a full house of adults.  Taking a deep breath, Irma and her boys climbed the stairs to be officially welcomed into the whole family.  Robin greeted them at the door and had the house elves take their bags to their individual rooms on the second floor.  Robin informed them that they had decided to place the boys in the rooms opposite Hermione's and Irma would be the next one over next to Hermione's.  It would bring Hermione peace knowing that they were so close to her.  He warned them not to be alarmed if a small, little girl happened to end up in bed with them.  Robin laughed and continued to explain that on more than one occasion with each of his children it had not been uncommon to open the bedroom doors and find all three in a single bed.  It was just part of that need to be close to ones, soul mates.  Roland had joined them then and explained that entire house had king size beds just for that purpose.  The beds were made to be comfortable and to easily hold all three people. Severus and Remus had laughed at that and had agreed to be careful when rolling over just encase their little one decided she needed to be with them. Roland patted them on the back and reminded them to also be careful as Hermione never traveled alone and if she was there, then so were her wolves. 

Taking another deep breath, everyone made their way out to the back patio where the party was in full swing.  Only seconds after they had walked out the back door then everyone was startled as Hermione let out the biggest squeal and in seconds she had made her way over to her boys and as they lowered down they both found themselves in her arms with her hanging on for dear life!  Severus and Remus had just held her, breathing her in and being so happy that they were here with her.  She gave them both a kiss on their checks and they return with each giving her a kiss on each of her cheeks.  With big smiles on their faces they stood up and Hermione raised her arms so Severus could pick her up.  Hermione leaned over and gave Irma a kiss before she went back to talking to Severus and Remus telling them all about her birthday and what was going on.  She had on another beautiful dress, this one was a light aqua with all kinds of sea creatures on it.  Just like the other one, it had pockets in which she could keep her wolves safe and close.

Robin and Roland led them around introducing them to everyone.  Remus and Severus both took turns carrying Hermione.  She had made it abundantly clear to everyone that now that the boys had arrived she would not be leaving their sides. They could feel everyone's eyes on them, checking them out and seeing just who had been chosen as Hermione's soul mates.  They all knew that the soul 'sparks' chose the perfect mates and were never wrong, it was just as shocking to them as it had been to Severus and Remus that her soul mates were much older.  All of Jean's brothers and sister had welcomed the boys warmly into the family, being sure to let them know that if they had questions not to hesitate in asking and they would be honored to help them.  They were officially part of the family now and they all reassured Severus and Remus that they were from this point on not alone.  They had laughed and joked that the boys were going to have their hands full with Hermione, that she was head strong and stubborn, but they had all agreed that she would love them completely.  That as she grew, that love would grow more unmistakable and unwavering.  They told them that even the ones that had discovered their soul mates as early as 7, that the boys were still ahead of the curve because the average age was 9-11 in their family for finding their mates.  With  Hermione finding hers before she was 4, it just meant that she would have more years to develop the bond that they shared.  They had all acknowledged that the separation anxiety that they felt was normal and that they all had gone through it.  Jean's brothers had kidded with them that it would also give them more time to tell them some of the horror stories that they had had to deal with.  Jean had laughed and told them they weren't allowed to terrorize the boys too much, yet.  She had told them to at least give them a year or two before they brought out the really awful horror stories. 

Hermione was back in Severus' arms as they made their way over to meet Susan, John and Scott.  After shaking their hands and greeting Susan, John had informed the boys that they were very excited that they wouldn't be the only older soul mates now.  They again told them that they would help them in any way that they could.  They were surprised, but thrilled with the prospect of meeting with Albus Dumbledore to help with his research and to make sure that Hermione and the boys would be safe as she entered the age when things would really begin to change for them.  Scott had said that the hardest time was the time between when the soul marks came in and they were married.  They were both 32 when Susan turned 17 and Susan was in her last year of school.  By then the boys her age knew that she betrothed, but it still hadn't stopped a couple boys from actively pursuing her, trying to get her to change her mind.  It was at this time that her protectors had become invaluable to them. The sooner the bond between her and her protectors started, the more in tuned to her the protectors would become.  It was just another part of the bond.  Her protectors would eventually be able to sense her moods just as Severus and Remus would. Scott had continued saying that all of us, soul mates as well as protectors, would be able to sense when she was scared and/or afraid.  John had said that the trust that we would put in Draco and Harry would become a blessing because seeing as we would be at school with Hermione, if she were to feel threatened it would trigger both of us and our first thoughts would immediately be to get to her as quickly as possible.  He explained that with us being teachers it was logical that we would not be at liberty to just drop everything and leave and it would be at that moment that we would have to trust in the bond that she shares with her protectors, believing that they would get to her and protect her.  John and Scott both admitted to the fact that they were really excited about learning more about Defense and Potions from the boys.  John said that they would put a day aside at holiday time to spend with them and give them some insight into being the "older soul mates".  Both of them had told the boys to make a list of the most prominent questions that they had and we would discuss those first.  They could then see how far Albus had gotten in his research and set up a meeting to see him if needed.  Severus and Remus had realized that John and Scott would more than likely become their greatest allies.

Robin, Roland and Jean next led them over to meet Hermione's brothers and sisters.  They were given lots of hugs from the older sisters and her brothers kidded them on the fact that they would be making sure that Severus and Remus took good care of their baby sister.  They admitted that they had never seen Hermione so content.  She was just glowing as she made her rounds in the arms of her boys.  Again Severus and Remus, both felt the overflowing love of the family bond, for two boys that had been lonely and abused only children, had lost both their parents in their teens, had been adopted by Irma and mentored by Lucius, the fact that they were now surrounded by so many members of Hermione's family that had accepted them into this family, with no reservations but just pure love, had both boys at this moment totally overwhelmed.  Never in their lives did they ever picture anything like this happening to them and yet it had.  Not only had Hermione and her soul 'sparks' changed their lives but so had Hermione and her extended family.  The boys would reflect later that night that they had never felt so complete.

The party went on all afternoon.  Hermione never left Severus or Remus, she stayed safely in their arms as she enjoyed her party.  Her cousins that were around her age were all curious as to who these two new boys were.  Severus and Remus along with Irma and Jean ended up sitting at one of the tables near the ocean.  Hermione's little cousins would come up in groups, the older ones would introduce themselves and stay and talk for a little bit and when that group was done, then the next one would come up and it was repeated until they had all been satisfied that Severus and Remus were okay.  Jean and Irma had laughed enjoying the fact that the boys were clearly so far out of their comfort zones that they weren't sure if they would ever find their way back.  The boys had agreed that it would take some getting used to but they were loving every minute of it.

Severus and Remus stood on either side of Hermione as Jean helped her cut the first piece of her cake.  When the cake eating was done, it was present time.  Severus had told Jean that they were saving their friends gifts for Monday as Albus had given them the gift of an extra day so they could all be here on Hermione's actual birthday.  Jean had been thrilled that they would have them an extra day.  Jean's brother and sisters and older cousins gift was that they all contributed and deposited money into Hermione's trust fund.  The trust fund would mature on her 18th birthday and would be available to her as she married her soul mates.  It was a lovely idea and as there were so many of them it worked out nicely for all involved.  If they found something particularly special then they would give that also.  Hermione's brothers and sister each contributed to a charity or organization that she would choose.  It had not surprised anyone this year with Hermione finding her soul mates that the charity Hermione had chosen was for a Wolf Preserve.  Jean had quietly told them that it would actually go to a Werewolf Preserve but they felt that Remus should have the opportunity to tell them of his condition when he was ready.  None of them had question it as they all knew of Hermione's obsession with her wolves.  Jean had told all the siblings that they had discovered the connection with the wolves through Irma when she had written to them that first time. Jean had explained that Severus was a black wolf and Remus was a grayish silver wolf when they were in their animagus forms.  She also had told them that Severus called Remus - "Moony" in his wolf form.  Jean said the siblings had all been shocked that Hermione had seen the boys in wolf form and Robin had confirmed that they believed that the younger kids do dream of their mates, that Hermione dreams of them in wolf form. It was an exciting discovery.

Hermione then opened the gifts that she had received.  Irma, Severus and Remus left their gifts for last.  When the last of the gifts had been opened, Irma had asked Hermione to come sit on her lap so she could open her gift from her.  Hermione had climbed up into Irma's lap and proceeded to open her gift.  In the box were three picture frames.  Hermione had looked up at Irma who had nodded her head and then Hermione picked up the first frame.  In that frame was a picture of Severus when he was 11.  Hermione's eyes had gotten big and she looked over at Severus who had nodded his head and smiled at her.  Irma had then told her that this was Severus when he was 11.  The next frame was a picture of Remus when he was 11.  Again Hermione looked over to Remus who smiled and nodded.  The last frame was the one that they knew was going to be her favorite.  As she turned it over, there in the frame was a picture of one grayish silver wolf and one black wolf.  Irma had asked Jean if she could barrow Blinky for a few minutes on the full moon and had explained what she wanted to do.  Jean had heartily agreed and Blinky had done her usual amazing job and captured the moment brilliantly.  Hermione just sat there starring at the picture and then she climbed up and wrapped her arms around Irma's neck and squeezed her tight.  Looking back at her, she then gave Irma a big kiss, hugged her again and got down and ran over to Severus and Remus who immediately scooped her up.  Giggling she said to both of them, "Sev'us and Moony!!"  Both had shook their heads 'yes'.  She had smiled so brightly at them. 

It was then that they gave her their present.  Jean gently took the picture of the wolves and showed it around while Hermione was distracted.  Severus and Remus held on to the box as she opened it.  Looking up at them with wonder in her eyes, she slowly opened the box and then let out a extremely loud squeal of pure joy.  Remus helped her take it out of the box and then he set it on the table, Hermione jumped into his lap and while Remus held on to her so she wouldn't fall, Severus wound it up and then let it go.  As the music began to play the three wolves ran around the castle.  More squealing ensued.  Hermione was memorized by the wolves and the music.  Severus then explained to Jean, Robin and Roland that it was charmed to sing her to sleep.  It would play 5 different songs and it would continue to play the music until she was asleep.  It was a beautiful gift and all of their hearts were full.

As the party ended and everyone left to go to their homes Remus, Severus and Hermione went up to her room with Jean and her dads to find a place for the music box and new pictures.  As they entered her room, Remus and Severus stopped and just starred at her walls.  It was covered in pictures, pictures of the three of them from the first meeting, pictures that she had drawn and then there were their letters.  She had put her favorites on the walls.  She had then showed them where she kept her special box and showed them the letters she had placed in it. Remus and Severus again felt that overwhelming sense of belonging overtake them.  Jean got her ready for bed and the boys tucked her in, reassuring her that they would be right across the hall and that they would see her in the morning.

They visited with the Grangers for a couple of hours, laughing and joking and catching up on the events going on in all their lives.  They then all went up to get some sleep before Hermione would wake them in the morning.  Severus and Remus checked in on Irma to make sure she was all set, seeing as she was they made their way to their own rooms.  After getting ready for bed, Remus quietly knocked on Severus door.  They had been curious after Robin had told them about Hermione possibly sneaking in to see them in the middle of the night.  They decided to see if she would come visit and as the bed was truly big enough for probably 5 or 6 of them, they both settled in to wait.  They talked for probably a half hour when they heard a door open and little tiny footsteps that came to stop right in front of their door.  Both boys gave a knowingly look and pretended to be sleeping.  The door opened and little Hermione peeked inside the room, convinced that she had the right room, she came in shut the door and made her way to the bed.  Using the step stool that was under the bed, she climbed up on it.  Placing her three wolves careful on the bed so they didn't fall off, up she climbed.  She gathered up her wolves and climbed up the bed between the two boys who were trying and failing not to give it away that they were still awake.  She looked at them and then climbed under the covers with them, positioning her wolves just right in her arms she let out a contented sigh and snuggled into Severus who opened his eyes to look at her.  She had her eyes closed and a look of total bliss on her face.  Remus edged closer so she would be able to feel both of them.  Remus placed his arm around her securely and Hermione put her little hand on his then Severus carefully put his on hers. Both boys feeling the same overcoming peace and sense of bliss that had caught Hermione in its grip, drifted off to sleep with Hermione snuggled closely between them.  

Around 5:30 the next morning, Robin and Roland peeked in the boys room to see where their missing child had gone.  As they had predicted, she was snuggled tightly between her two boys and all three were sleeping peacefully.  They just looked at each other knowingly and quietly closing the door behind them, went downstairs.    

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to do a small chapter covering Hermione's actual birthday next. So, then there will be at least 2 more chapters in 1983 and the 1st Christmas one if I do it.


	13. Hermione turns 4

Severus and Remus woke on Sunday morning to little Hermione intently watching them. As they turned over on their sides to face her, she giggled and preceded to give each boy a big hug and a kiss.  Severus talked with her as Remus got up to use the bathroom, and when he returned Severus took his turn while Remus watched over her.  When they were done, Remus scooped her and the wolves up and they headed downstairs for some breakfast. The rest of the family and Irma were chatting and eating when the boys walked into the kitchen with Hermione. 

Robin and Roland laughed as they entered.  With a big smile on their faces, Robin chuckled, “I see you had a visitor during the night.”

Severus and Remus both laughed.  Severus grabbed her little foot making her squeal, “Remus and I were curious to see if she would indeed join us.  So, we snuggled down and waited.  It was about a half hour later that we heard her tiny little footsteps and the door open.”

Remus squeezed her and she squealed again, “Then she climbed up on the bed and wiggled her way under the covers, snuggled up to Severus and me, and she was out again in seconds. Totally content.”

“How is it that just being close to her brings about such a contented peace, we were out seconds after she was and it’s been a long time since I’ve had such a peaceful night sleep.” Severus asked.

“Me, too.  I feel rested, peaceful and not a bit of uneasiness.” Remus added.

Robin replied, “I believe it has to do with the bond.  The feeling of peace is there for all of us.  We’ve often wondered if it is stronger in the beginning when the bond is first acknowledged.  It’s been a month now since your first meeting.  The bond will continue to strengthen in the years to come.”

“You both have admitted that the feeling of peace became your guide.  I believe it does guide continually throughout our lives.  We are still guided by it.  I think it changes over time especially once the bond is sealed.  When we met Jean on the playground when we were 7, we were led to her.  The peace inside us led us right to her.  The three of us immediately became the best of friends and that friendship grew stronger over the years. We both realized around 12, I think that we loved her and wanted to marry her. It was quite the dilemma for both us for the following 3 years. Of course, back then the parents didn’t tell you about what was happening to you until you were older.  It would been much easier on all of us had we known say at 10 instead of 15.”  Roland added

Jean agreed and smiling said, “That’s why we made the decision to tell our children as soon as we were sure they had made the connection with their mates.  With Robin and Roland being a 100% right in predicting future mates it makes it a little easier now to bring the mates into the fold earlier and prepare them for the trials they will face down the road.”

Robin continued, “As I’m sure you understand not everyone is happy about the fact that their children are soul bound to not one but two mates.  I’m sure that both of you had to wrestle with it briefly for a bit after our first meeting.  It’s a lot to take in at first. You both, however, won’t have all the issues that our other children face simply because you are older.  Seeing as you are both adults, this news probably wasn’t as questionable or shocking as it would have been if you were only…let’s say 10.”

“Also, for a better choice of words, we didn’t have to go before your parents and tell them, ‘Oh, by the way your two sons are both soul mates to our daughter.’  Kaleigh, who will be married next year to Thomas and Timothy Case, let’s just say our first meeting with their parents didn’t go so well.”  Roland cringed as he shook his head.

Robin laughed saying, “Yeah…they wanted to hang us from the top of the flag pole and use us for archery practice.  It was definitely a shock to them and it probably didn’t help that the boys were only 10 at the time.  We finally did get them to settle down and look at things from our perspective. Once they were able to understand what we were dealing with, they were much more open.”

“It also helped that the boys could explain what they were feeling and could give their parents examples of what had been going on with them.  They both were already passionate about their feelings for Kaleigh. It took them a little while to wrap their heads around it, but now…they can’t wait for the wedding.  They were able to witness when the boys received their soul marks and as we had kept them abreast of everything that would happen in the years that had preceded the receiving of their marks, they had become more comfortable and accepting with it.” Roland added.

Severus and Remus nodded in understanding.  Remus added, “I think it was different and easier for us to accept everything, because the same thing happen to both of us at the same time and we both had the vision of Hermione.  We just didn’t know…what it was that had happened.  We put two and two together and determined that it was some kind of soul bond, but until Irma found Ms. Mitchell’s book describing our soul bond we were just in the dark as to what kind of bond we had.”

“Now that we have met you and our little one here.” Severus smiled and tickled Hermione making her squeal again. “It makes perfect sense.  What is really exciting for us is knowing that we will be able to watch her grow up and from this point forward we are a part of her life as well. She will grow up knowing that we are hers and she is ours. There won't be any of that wondering if we are or we aren't. She will know as we know. There will be no doubt as to the love that we feel for her. Like you said, it will only grow stronger as she grows. The fact that we have her now at 4, where as others don't realize it until much later puts us in an unique position.”

Robin smiled, “It will be exciting for us as well.  We knew Jean was special to us, but like we said before, we didn’t find out until we were 15.  By then we were going crazy because we couldn’t wrap our heads around how we were both going to be able to have her.  We both loved her immensely by then and it was beginning to eat us alive thinking that she was going to have to choose one of us or so we thought.”

Jean giggled, “I went to my parents and basically told them that we needed to sit Robin and Roland down and tell them what was going on or we were taking a chance that I was going to lose one or both of them. I didn’t want to see them suffer anymore, it was breaking my heart.  I wanted to tell them that they would both be able to love me and that the three of us would be, not to sound overly cliché, together forever.  In the end it worked out for the best for us.”

Roland smiled at Jean, “We were fortunate in that our parents already knew how much we loved Jean.  I think they were actually relieved that both of us would be marrying her and that we were her soul mates.  It is the main reason that we tell our own children and their mates as soon as possible.  We don’t want them to have to suffer the same turmoil that we did.”

“Our parents were always very understanding and open minded.  They still to this day remain very good friends with Jean’s mum and dads.  In fact, you will get to meet them tomorrow for Hermione’s other party.  They don’t like big crowds and well…you saw firsthand the chaos that ensues at one of these.” Robin laughed.

Jean added with a smile, “Besides…they are very excited to meet Hermione’s soul mates!  Robin has warned them that you are much older than she is.  They took it all in stride as they always have.  Mum’s comment was that if they love Hermione as much as we do, that’s all that matters to us.”

The rest of breakfast went on with more conversation on plans for Hermione’s birthday tomorrow.  Robin, Roland and Jean wanted to take all of us out to dinner that evening to one of their favorite places on the water.  We were excited to see more of Hermione’s home town.  It would be nice to get familiar with the area. We took Hermione for a walk on the beach before lunch and helped her gather up a bunch of seashells.  When she found a starfish, she stopped and had asked Remus to throw it back in.  She explained in her adorable little way that the starfishies went back in the water.  We had a wonderful time just watching her and enjoying her perspective on life.

When it was lunch time, we all gathered on the patio and Hermione again sat on Severus’ lap, she had explained that she could see better from his lap.  Everyone laughed, she was persistent in what she wanted.  When it was getting close to nap time she grabbed her blanket and climbed up in Remus’ lap.  With her wolves safely tucked in she snuggled into Remus’ and went to sleep.  The rest of us just watched as it was one of those moments that was utterly priceless and you just wanted to hold on to it as long as you could.

The rest of day went by quietly, with lots of conversation about a lot of different topics.  We went out to dinner and had a wonderful time. The food was amazing and we found out that the Grangers good friends, Jonah and Katie were the owners.  They were interested in us as Robin had filled them in that we were Hermione’s soul mates.  Roland had joked that we were all going on an adventure with this and learning as we went.  Jonah had been very gracious and Katie had said that they were going to have their hands full as Hermione grew.  We all agreed that was probably an understatement.  Irma was having a great time with everyone.  Severus had whispered to Remus that having this family in their lives would be an even bigger blessing for Irma.  Remus had agreed and added that he hadn’t thought about the fact that they were all she had and now that they were a part of this big family, naturally so would she be a part of it.  Both boys had then smiled and looked over to their mum who was having quite the conversation with Hermione. 

After we arrived back at the Grangers, Jean took Hermione up to give her a bath and get her ready for bed.  Jean came back down with Hermione a little bit later and Hermione ran right over to Severus and climbed up in his lap and taking a hold of his face in her little hands, looked him right in the eyes and with the most intense but cutest look on her face asked him, “Sev’us…please can I sleep in your bed with you and Re…m..us? Pretty Pleeeeaseeee!”

Both boys were trying hard not to laugh as Hermione had the most precious look of expectation on her face.

Jean gently spoke, “I told her she needed to ask first as it is your bed.”

Severus then gently brushing her hair out of her face, told her “Yes…little one…you may sleep in my bed with Remus and me.”  The squeal Hermione let go was piercing but no one seemed to mind.  She was so happy, there was no way to deny her what she asked, which the boys realized at the same time would only continue as she grew.  They were already in so much trouble with her.  They stayed up for a short time talking with everyone and as Hermione’s eyes began to flutter and close, the boys said goodnight and took their little princess upstairs and put her in bed.  Remus ran over to his room and got ready for bed, when he returned Severus ran in and did the same.  Then the three of them climbed under the covers and snuggling as tight as they could, they entered dream land together.

****

**_Hermione’s 4 th birthday_ **

**_Monday, September 19, 1983_ **

 

It was a beautiful day for a birthday!  Hermione was so excited that we were staying another day.  We spent another wonderful day entertaining her and watching her play.  She never strayed far from Severus and Remus, if she wasn’t sitting in their laps then she was right beside them.  She was the cutest little girl. 

Around 1:00, Robin and Roland’s parents arrived.  They are wonderful people and we all felt an immediate connection.  They were excited to meet Irma and spent a good bit of time talking with her. They had laughed when Robin told them that we were 19 years older than Hermione.  Martha, Donald and Dennis arrived and we were led out to the patio for lunch and cake.  We had brought out the presents from our friends and Hermione was excited that she had more gifts to open.  She made sure that her wolves were taken care of and climbed up into Severus’ lap and began to open her presents. 

The first one we gave her was from Albus.  He had given her a current copy of “Hogwarts – A History”.  We were confident that she would know it cover to cover before she started Hogwarts as a student.  The next one was from Minerva and she had given Hermione a book on “Transfiguration for Beginners” and a child’s book on becoming an animagus with pictures and instructions of how to begin to see your shape.  As we were all fairly certain that Hermione would be a sienna brown colored wolf, Minerva must have figured it was never too young to begin putting two and two together.  Jean was excited, too.  She had always wanted to be an animagus and this would be the perfect opportunity for all of them to learn together. Minerva had told us that it didn’t happen often but there had been cases of children as young as 10 transforming into their animagus animals.

The gift from the Malfoy’s was breathtaking.  They had designed a white photo album with gold woven into it. Also woven into the cover was a picture of Hermione and her wolves.  They had told Severus and Remus that they wanted her to have something extra special to hold her special photos of her and the boys.  They had also commissioned a jeweler to make a silver necklace that had three charms on it, each charm represented one of them.  The charms would alternate between their wolf forms and their pictures.  Hermione would be able to keep them close to her heart even when they were apart. She was overjoyed with both gifts, holding up the necklace to Remus he put the necklace on her as Severus held up her hair.

The last gift was from James and Harry.  They had transformed one of those front baby carriers, into a special pack that would safely transport her wolves where ever Hermione went.  Each wolf had its own special pouch with their picture on it.  They had also added the special touch of having pictures of the wolves all over it.  Hermione was so excited that she had Remus put it on her so she could promptly put her wolves in their designated pouches. 

She got a few more gifts from her parents and from her grandparents.  After all the presents were opened, we all sat around and ate cake while we talked.  Robin and Roland’s mum and dad were curious about our teaching at Hogwarts and so we filled them in on what we did.  It was an amazing day and we had really enjoyed our time with everyone.  As the day turned to night we were already beginning to feel the separation anxiety that would overtake us when we had to leave in the morning.  As we got ready for bed we tried our best not to let Hermione see that we were struggling, too.  We could already see it in her eyes, she knew we were going to have to leave.  Remus put her in our bed and we both climbed in after her.  She looked at both of us and she whispered, “You are gonna have to go ‘morrow?”

“Yes…little one we have to go back to Hogwarts to teach dunderheads.” Remus said just as quietly, that had made Hermione giggle. “It won’t be long until we see you again though and we’ll write you every day.”

“We can’t wait to get your beautiful pictures and your letters.  We look forward to seeing Buttons and what he has brought us from you.” Severus added.

Hermione smiled at them while she let out a big yawn, “I wuv you Sev’us and Moony”.

Both boys replied, “And we love ‘you’, our little one.”

Knowing that she was loved and safe, she curled up into the warm embrace of her two loves and off she went into dream land to run with them in their wolf forms on another adventure.


	14. Draco and Harry Meet Hermione

Time moved forward for the boys and before they knew it the weekend was approaching fast.  This was the weekend that the Grangers were meeting the Malfoys and Potters.  Severus and Remus were planning to spend the night with the Grangers on Friday and then the six of them would apparate to Malfoy Manor around 11:00.  Draco and Harry would then meet Hermione before we had lunch. 

Hermione was very excited, although we weren’t sure if she was excited about meeting Draco and Harry or she was excited that we were spending the night with her.  Either way it was a win-win.  She had sent us letters and pictures every day since her birthday and this time the separation anxiety wasn't as bad as the last time.  We missed her like crazy but just knowing when we would see her again help us as well as helping her.  Jean had put up a special calendar in her room that would count down the days until we were with her.  The day we were arriving was circled in red and as the days passed they were crossed off with a big black X so she could see just how close we were to being together. 

We had received another box with pictures a few days after our return to Hogwarts and that had helped.  There were so many great pictures of the three of us and then ones of each of us with her.  We were also excited to see pictures of everyone that had been at Hermione’s party.  There was even one of us with Susan, John and Scott.  There was a really nice one that had Jean, Robin, Roland, Martha, Dennis, Donald, Irma, Hermione and us in it.  It had been taken with the ocean in the background.  That one went on the mantle in the living room.  Our favorite picture was one that Blinky must have taken while we were asleep as it had the three of us all snuggled up tight, sleeping peacefully and totally oblivious to anything or anyone.  It was an amazing picture that showed just how at peace we all were.  Jean had told us that Hermione now slept with that picture along with her three wolves. 

Friday arrived and along with it one incident after another.  By the time it was time to leave for the Grangers, we couldn’t have been more grateful.  We said goodbye to mum and told her we would fill her in when we returned on Tuesday.  Albus had again been kind to give us an extra day off.  We had also decided on a day in November before the end of term to bring the Grangers and Hermione to castle for a visit.  Albus was still in research mode and had been speaking to two of the board members that he trusted to keep his findings in the strictest confidence. Soul bonds were rare but ours was one of the rarest and in being so, it would also need special accommodations in the years to come.  Albus was still confident that everything would be in place when it was needed.  With everything settled, we said our goodbyes and headed out to the apparation point arriving in the Granger’s backyard.  Now that we knew our way it was easier to apparate right into the yard.  It was a beautiful day so we decided to apparate even though we had set up a floo connection last week. We wanted to be able to floo over if we were needed quickly.  We were also thinking that if Hermione was having a particularly hard day then they could come over for a bit so we could help get her settled down. It would be beneficial to everyone.

Our feet had just landed and as we were turning to head toward the patio door we were met by a little whirlwind that came running right at us. We knelt down as she approached and as Hermione was now prone to do, she wrapped her arms around us and gave us a big hug and a kiss. We gave her our kisses and taking her little hands in ours we headed for the house with her jabbering a mile a minute telling us all about her day. We greeted Robin, Roland and Jean and helped Hermione up in her chair as Jean was just lifting dinner. We spent the next couple of hours catching up and filling them in with what was happening at the castle and then letting them know about what would be happening tomorrow.

We also discussed their visit to the castle in November and what Albus wanted them to bring for him. Albus thought it would be helpful to look through the more recent journals as he might be able to find some information that would be valuable to us. He understood the basics of most soul bonds, but seeing ours is initiated upon the child’s birth, he was hoping to find a basis to put certain safeguards in place. He was figuring that the most common issue would be in the fact that we are almost 20 years older and some close minded people would assume that we were taking advantage of Hermione. Of course, due to the nature of our particular soul bond we know that it is not the case at all and Albus wanted to be able to prove that. Also, Albus wanted to use the fact that even at the age of 4, Hermione knows that there is a connection between the three of us and he felt that would play into our favor. He had said that by watching the three of us interact as Hermione grew that he would be able to submit that as evidence to support our case and show that the relationship between us has been growing for some time. Albus had thought that it would be fine for us to teach her but not test her. He figured if it was needed, he would just bring in another teacher to administer her testing. Minerva and Filius had already offered to grade her essays and Albus had also acknowledged that he would help out in whatever area was needed. As we would be the best option to teach her, other precautions would be put in place to prevent others from thinking that we played favoritism toward our future wife. He assured us that he would cover every base to make sure the three of us were protected. Albus thought it would be unfounded and utter nonsense for the people that would voice opposition, to deny a child her rightful education just because her soul mates were teachers.

Seeing as we had a very busy day scheduled for tomorrow, we all headed to bed early.  When we came in from getting changed, Hermione was already in bed with her wolves patiently waiting for us to get finished.  We climbed in beside her and she gave us both a kiss goodnight, patiently waited for her kisses and then curled up to us and went to sleep.  We watched her for a few minutes as she made her way into slumber.  Her little feet moved as if she were running to catch up. So content were we that it wasn’t long and we entered sleep right behind her.

**_Malfoy Manor_ **

**_October 15, 1983_ **

The morning brought with it a cold rain which proceeded to blow the leaves that had fallen.  An owl arrived early to request us to floo into the east sitting room, hoping to save us from having to battle the elements as it was raining heavily at the moment at the manor.  We asked Robin, Roland and Jean if they had a problem with flooing over to the Malfoy’s.  It was agreed that Severus would take Hermione and Jean with him.  Remus would follow with Robin and Roland.  That way there shouldn’t be any problems. At 5 minutes to 11, we all flooed over to the Malfoys.

We arrived to two very excited little boys that were very happy to see their favorite godfathers. We double checked to make sure everyone had arrived safely and as we all were accounted for we began with the introductions.  Draco and Harry were very curious about the little girl in Severus’ arms with the bushy, brown hair.  Severus introduced Hermione to Draco and then Harry.  She wasn’t totally sure what to make of it all but then when the boys mentioned their toys, she immediately took off with them to see what mischief they could get into.

Remus then introduced Jean, Robin and Roland to Lucius, Cissy and James.  Cissy and Jean hit it right off and left the rest of us standing by the fireplace as they went over to keep and eye on the kids. Lucius, always the most gracious host offered them a tour of the main rooms. When we came to the library, Robin and Roland both agreed that if Hermione was ever to set foot in this room they would never be able to get her out.  Lucius had laughed at that telling them that he had a hard time getting us out of there. He joked that the apple was not going to fall far from the tree.  

After the tour, we met Cissy and Jean and the kids in the dining room.  Lunch was very good, Hermione was fascinated by the chicken nuggets shaped like wolves.  Cissy told us she put in a special request seeing as she knew that Hermione has a deep affection for wolves.  She was grinning at Remus and Severus, who just laughed.

“It still amazes me that she has wolves that look just like the two of you.”  Lucius said with a smile

Jean smiled, “It baffled us for quite a while truthfully. We figured that at some point the ‘why’ behind the wolves would make itself known.  We had no idea until we received Irma’s letter and in it she explained what had happened to Remus. She then described the wolves and the three of us put two and two together and we knew that the wolves represented Severus and Remus and that she dreamed of them in their wolf forms. She has had ‘Moony since she was one and she found ‘Sev’us and her’ a year later. She won't go anywhere unless she has them with her, they are her constant companions.  Irma gave her a picture of the Severus and Remus in their wolf forms for her birthday and she carries that picture everywhere with her. The picture has a special place on her bed shelves right above her head so that it doesn’t get broken while she sleeps. It is as if the boys are watching over her as she sleeps.”

“We actually can’t wait to see her when she takes her animagus form. We are sure that she will also be a wolf – just like the sienna brown one that she carries. If you watch her, she is always between the black wolf, that is Severus and the grayish-silver wolf that is Remus.  I don’t even think she realizes that she does it, she just knows that she belongs between the two others.” Robin smiled as he looked over to where Hermione was playing with the wolves. I would not be at all surprised if Draco and Harry join her in becoming animagus, it will be interesting to see what the boys become as well.

James added, “My animagus form is a stag. It might be a safe bet that Harry may mirror that. I am amazed, you watch them and they act like they have been friends since birth.  Is that how it is supposed to be with her protectors?”   

Roland looking over to where the three kids were playing, “Yes…the bond between them will grow just as the bond she shares with Severus and Remus will grow.  When the mates of our children were older, usually around the age of 10 sometimes it’s 11, we introduced the subject of being protectors as well as our children's soul mates and we let them know what their responsibilities would be.  In every instance, it was never a problem. With Susan, her protectors knew that it was up to them to keep her safe. As I see it we have the added benefit that both boys are your godsons so there is already a strong connection to you, Severus and Remus. This will just strengthen their bond with Hermione.”

Lucius pondered that for a few seconds, “So, you are saying that they won’t form a love interest in her?”

Robin thought on it before replying “No, from the little I remember of Susan and her protectors, they will only ever see her as their best friend. They will love her, cherish her and fiercely protect her, but Draco and Harry will only see her as their best friend. When Hermione feels the time is right then she will let them know that she is bonded to two mates and will share with them who those mates are. Knowing your sons, they will already have guessed who Hermione's soul mates are. We will be spending a lot of time with John and Scott, Jean’s sister; Susan’s husbands learning about their protectors. We will ask them how young her protectors were when they learned that John and Scott were her mates. As time moves forward we will have the answers to the questions you have. It probably won’t hurt to have all of you come over and we can have you meet John and Scott.  That way you can ask them your questions directly.  If it is possible we may even be able to bring along the boys that acted as Susan’s protectors and they can give us even more insight into what the boys may experience.”

Roland continued, “It is unknown territory for us as well seeing as we are only 6 months older than Jean, we were also her protectors.  All of our other 7 children, their mates are either the same age or 1 to 2 years older. Their soul mates are also their protectors. The only time that other protectors are needed is when the soul mates are much older than the child, which is what will happen in Hermione’s case. It would not be proper for Severus and Remus to be her protectors as they will also be her teachers. We will be treading carefully in those waters as it is. It is definitely going to be a learning experience and hopefully when it is all said and done we will have the information we need to guide the next set of mates that are older.”

“So, the soul mates being so much older isn’t a common thing?” James asked

Robin laughed, “Oh no, it is very rare.  It seems to be happening once a generation now as Susan and Hermione’s soul mates are both much older.  John and Scott are 15 years older than Susan and well…you know that Severus and Remus are both 19 years older than Hermione. We have spent some time searching the recorded journals and it seems that in the first 400 years of Jean’s genealogy we could only find 10 instances where the mates were older and then they were only 7 to 10 years older.  Then it began to increase some and we found 25 in the next 200 years.  In the last 100 years there have been 20 including Susan and Hermione. We have no way of knowing why it was so rare in the beginning, but it does appear to be on the increase now. If it continues then one of our childrens’ children or Jean’s brothers and sisters’ childrens’ children will have soul mates that are older like Severus and Remus. One of Martha’s grandmother’s siblings had soul mates that were 13 years older. It skipped Martha and her siblings as their soul mates are all in the same age to I think the oldest set is 5 years older. It could throw us again and skip another generation, we have no way of knowing. We are at the bonds mercy so to speak.”  

“The bond we share is rare in of itself and honestly we are not surprised when it does something that catches us totally off guard. I think that is the beauty of this bond, it pretty much does as it wants and can change on a dime if it needs to. We don’t understand why it chose to give Hermione two mates that are so much older but it doesn’t matter to us. The bond is never wrong in who is chooses. We have felt the strong connection that already exists between Severus, Remus and Hermione. At this time it is based on love and companionship and that is how it will continue for sometime. With Hermione being so young, she will grow up knowing that Severus and Remus are hers and that they will keep her safe and if she needs protection her first impulse will to seek them out. The bond will always led her to them first. Hermione is still too young to understand all this, but she knows that Severus and Remus are special and they will always be her first choice in any given situation. It is kind of like a flock of ducks, how do the ducklings know which parent is theirs? They just do. Hermione will be the same way. If she can't get to Severus and Remus, she will seek out Draco and Harry. That's why it's important to have Draco and Harry understand what their purpose as protectors will be. They will need to be aware that if Hermione can't get to Severus and Remus, she will be coming for them.” Roland added with a chuckle.

Jean replied, “The physical aspects of the bond will not come in until their soul marks come in. Then they will face the real tests as the bond will then begin to call to each of them. The desire to be one will grow and then it will advance rapidly until Hermione turns 18 and the bond is sealed. We really aren’t sure how it will affect the three of them. Robin and Roland’s desire for me grew as did mine for them. We knew we had to wait, but we did push the boundaries, I think all of us do. Some of my siblings didn’t make it until they turned 18. The ones that didn’t were only a week or so away. I know with myself I wanted both boys badly, but we also knew it was important to wait and so even though we wanted more, we were able to hold off and wait...barely. With Hermione it is going to be interesting to see what happens. At some point between the ages of 15 and 16, she will begin to see Severus and Remus more as her mates and not just the boys she’s known were special to her since she was 4. When her mark comes in bearing the boys names her desire is going to do a complete turnaround. She is going to begin to want physical comfort like kisses, more intimate hugs, deeper snuggles, touches. When they go to sleep they will be more intertwined together. Hermione already knows the contented peace she has when the three sleep together in the Severus' bed. The peace will deepen, too. We will be watching to see what happens with Severus and Remus. As they are so much older we aren’t sure when their desires for her will begin to increase and become more romantic in nature. It will be something that we will want to keep track of so that it will be helpful for others traveling down the 'much older than our mate' route. That is something else that we can ask John and Scott about. The more we can learn about this experience, the more beneficial it will be in helping the others that come after them. We are sure of one thing and that is that the last year before they are married will be very interesting for all of us.”

Cissy had been sitting there taking it all in and was quite astonished, “Wow, there is so much to take in. When Severus and Remus told us about Hermione, I admit it really through us for loop. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am for both of them. That they will have a love that is so deep, well…if anyone deserves that it is those two. There is so much to take in and I know we have time on our side at the moment, but we all know how fast time flies.  Voldemort was defeated almost 2 years ago this month and most of us already have one child and some of us have more on the way. It seems we will need to make plans well ahead of time to keep everything from falling into complete chaos at a moment’s notice.”

“You are right, Cissy. That is why we are working already with Headmaster Dumbledore to insure that all the safety precautions are in place **before** Hermione enters Hogwarts. We want to be sure that not only is she protected, but that Severus and Remus are also protected. The more safeguards that are in place the better it will be for everyone. The fact that Albus is already working on a game plan is wonderful. He holds a lot of power and we have no doubt at all that he will be able to complete his plan before Hermione arrives at Hogwarts.” Robin said

Jean looked at Cissy, “I also have a plan and I’m hoping that you will be in agreement with it, Cissy. I plan to homeschool Hermione and I would also like to homeschool Draco and Harry with her. I think that the three of them being in a learning environment together will prepare them for their time at Hogwarts. Severus and Remus have graciously agreed to teach Potions and Defense to our other children over the summer break, especially the ones that chose not to have a magical education. Although all our children have magic, not all of their soul mates do. Several of our children opted for a strictly muggle education simply because their soul mates were there. While we have no objection with either education, we want them to have the basic education in magic. Severus and Remus have given us the perfect opportunity to do that. James I know you will need to talk this over with Lily, but it is my hope that she will agree to it. Maybe you can put in some kind of bribe if needed to sway her your way.”

James snorted, “Oh, this is so totally perfect. She has already been whining about what she is going to do with Harry when this next baby comes. This will be an excellent way to get her to let me have Harry. I can just tell her that I have found him a teacher that homeschools. She will love the idea that he is learning and that she won’t have to do it. It will leave her time to deal with her newest addition.”

Lucius looked at James with a questioning look, “You don’t seem happy about this latest development? You weren’t expecting this, were you?”

James looked at everyone and running his hand through his hair he admitted, “We had discussed it and I thought, that we had come to an agreement that we would wait another year until I was more settled in my job as an Auror and we could get Harry into pre-school.  Oh Jean, your offer to homeschool Harry is really a god-send right now. She had agreed, reluctantly, but she agreed that it would be best to wait a little longer. The next thing I know a month later…one month…one stinking month after we agreed to wait she comes waltzing in telling me that she’s pregnant. I was furious! We ended up in a huge fight and I grabbed Harry and ended up at my mom and dad’s for a few days so I could cool down. Things are pretty tense at home right now. She’s changed and I don’t like the person she is becoming.”

“That is a tough road to be going down, my friend.” Lucius shook his head. “It doesn’t surprise me that she pulled something like this on you. We have all seen how awful she has been to Severus and Remus because they don’t do what she thinks they should do. I’m just a little concerned how she will react when she finds out that they are soul bound to Hermione. I do not envy anyone that has to be part of that conversation. Of course, I plan to have a front row seat and popcorn to watch the theatricals that I’m sure she will put on. She is going to have a downright cow of epic proportions!” Lucius started laughing hysterically.

“You are all heart, Lucius!! Severus and I will remember that when it’s time to choose Godfathers for our first born children!” Remus smirked.

“As their first children will be twins, I think you might be safe, Lucius. I see 4 males in this room so unless you do something so awful that you lose their favor, I believe that the Godfathers of their children are in this very room at the moment.” Robin grinned. “In all seriousness though, Lucius and James, as you are their closest friends and with Harry and Draco being her protectors, it makes the most sense that Severus and Remus will honor the four of you with this priceless gift.”  

“Hey Remus!” Severus laughed “I do believe we now have something we can hold over their heads!”

“HaHa!! I believe you are on to something there, Severus!” Remus joined in on the ‘let’s pick on Lucius and James’ moment. “All joking aside for a minute, you have been a huge support for us Lucius since the day we arrived at Hogwarts, and James your friendship has been equally important to us. We could not think of anyone else in our lives that should have the special honor of being our first born children’s Godfathers. We value you both immeasurably.”

Severus and Remus both bowed their heads in reverence to the two men that were a special part of their lives. At that moment, little Hermione came over and climbed up into Severus’ lap and within a minute was sound asleep. It was her naptime and it didn’t matter what was going on she knew where she belonged.

“She is so special. I can not even imagine how much more special she will become as she grows.” Lucius said as he watched her sleep in total contentment.

“We are really looking forward to being a part of her life as she grows.” Cissy added.

“I totally agree with that. It’ll be nice to have somewhere else to escape to when the need arises.” James agreed with a smile. “It will be fun to watch her with Draco and Harry. I bet she won’t let them get away with anything.”

Harry had climbed up in James lap and Draco was in Cissy’s and it wasn’t long until both boys were out.

Everyone continued to talk and make plans. Severus thought it would be a great idea for James and Lucius to also help out with the magic training when they were available. Both agreed that they would enjoy it very much and that all they needed to know was when to come. Cissy and Jean continued the conversation on homeschooling and they both agreed that it would be great if Cissy wanted to teach them about magic. It wouldn’t hurt for them to understand both worlds as they would be a part of both worlds.

After having spent a wonderful day with their friends, they said their goodbyes and Cissy told Hermione that they would have another play date very soon for her, Draco and Harry.  Hermione gave each boy a hug and waved goodbye as Remus lifted her up and carried her to the floo.

Later that evening, Hermione told Severus and Remus that she like Draco and Harry very much and she was sure that they would be ‘the bestest friends’ but that she only loved her ‘Sev’us and Re…m..us’. Then she hugged both of them and gave them their kisses and snuggling up to her boys, they all entered sleep, together.


	15. Hermione visits the Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to do their 1st Christmas together. After that we will be skipping to June 1988 where Hermione will be 8.

**_Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ **

**_Saturday, November 19, 1983_ **

The time had arrived for the Grangers and Hermione to visit the castle and meet Headmaster Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall. The weather was beautiful for a late fall day and so Albus decided that he would have Remus and Severus apparate the Grangers and Hermione to the front gates, because honestly first impressions are everything and Albus wanted  to capture the look on Hermione's face when she saw the castle for the first time.

At 10:00, Remus and Severus arrived at the Grangers home and they were greeted by a very excited Hermione who couldn't get over the fact that she was going to see a real castle in Scotland, no less. She had on her pretty dress that was covered in her wolves and she carefully placed her wolves in the pockets so that she could hold on to Severus with both hands. Robin went with Severus and Hermione, while Remus took Jean and Roland. They made sure everyone was ready and when they were, they all apparated to Hogwarts.

Arriving at the castle, Hermione's eyes grew as big as dinner plates and her amazement was even larger. She squealed as she hung tight to Severus and pointed at the castle, "This is where you live? It is so..o.o big and its very pretty. Wow..."

Severus smiling back at her, "Yes, little one this is where Remus and I live during the school year and where we teach."

"Teach the dunderheads" Hermione nodded

"Severus Snape! You did not tell her you teach dunderheads!" Minerva exclaimed and Severus just laughed.

With that Albus and Minerva finished approaching them and opened the gates for all of them to follow them back up to the castle.  When they were in the hallway Albus greeted everyone and introductions were made. Minerva was fascinated by the beautiful little girl that would one day be Severus and Remus' wife. 

"Severus, Remus she is absolutely beautiful. Such a sweet wee little thing. I am so glad to finally meet her in person. Irma has told me so much about her, and if truth be told, I can't wait to help her take her animagus form. She will make a beautiful wolf and then the three of you will be able to run together on the full moons." Minerva said. "Robin, Roland and Jean...it is so nice to finally meet you as well. I must admit I've been not so patiently waiting for this day to arrive."

"Speaking of Irma, where is she? I thought she would be at the gates to greet us." Remus asked

"It seems there was a bit of trouble in the library right before your arrival. She will meet up with us as soon as she gets things situated and taken care of. There will be quite a few 5th year students in detention tonight and tomorrow from what I was told." Minerva chuckled. "I believe she is going to have Argus help out tonight so that she can spend time with all of you."

Severus snickered, "Oh boy, they will never forget that either. You don't mess with mum's library and get out of it with a slap on the hand."

"James and Sirius still go on about the detention they had to serve with mum. They both agreed that never again would they have a blatant disregard for the books or the library or for mum." Remus laughed. "They said once was more than enough to learn their lesson in the library. They spent three days cleaning shelves and books on the highest shelves using no magic whatsoever."

We all laughed at that and Albus began the tour of the castle. Hermione was fascinated by everything and she especially loved the moving staircases. She politely asked Albus questions on things that Jean had read to her out of "Hogwarts - A History". Of course she had already read it and had questions. What four year old wouldn't. Jean explained that it was the book of choice now when it was story time. She even had a list of questions that Hermione told her she would like answered. Hermione took turns having Remus and Severus carry her, she felt safe and secure in their arms and it didn't matter to the boys as they were both content to have her close.

She did let them put her down for a moment when they meet Filius. She was thrilled to meet someone that was her size. She liked Filius right away and she stood and watched in utter fascination as he performed a few charms for her. She clapped her tiny hands and giggled as he made one of her wolves, Severus' black wolf float right out of her pocket and land in Remus' hand. She told Filius that she couldn't wait to learn how to do that and to learn so much more from him. Filius told her that she was more than welcomed to come see him anytime she visited the castle with Severus and Remus. She was very eager to do that. As they started to move on to the next part of the tour, Hermione thanked Filius and told him she would indeed see him again.

They made their way to the Astronomy Tower, and Hermione couldn't get over the view. She saw the Giant Squid playing in the Black Lake and asked if they could go out and meet him. She asked Remus if they could come back after dark to look at the stars as she was positive that 'they would be so pretty from up here'.  Remus told her that they would all come back before bedtime so she could look at the stars from here. Severus told her that the stars were amazing to watch from here and they would see if they could barrow a telescope so she could see them even better. Hermione was very excited about that.

Jean, Robin and Roland were just as excited as Hermione was. The castle was truly an absolutely enchanting place to be. They chatted with Minerva and Albus as we made our way down to the Black Lake to visit the Giant Squid. Albus explained to them about the Forbidden Forest and some of the creatures that lived there. He went on to tell about the unicorn herd that lived there and that maybe at some point they might be able to take Hermione to visit them. It would have to be arranged with the centaurs, but he really didn't see it as being a problem. Severus and Remus had developed a deep friendship with the centaurs and often the boys and centaurs would run together through the forest on the full moon. When the centaurs needed outside help with an issue or problem, they would request a meeting with Severus and Remus, who would then be their spokesmen in getting the problem or issue resolved. The boys had been made honorary herd-brothers their last year at Hogwarts as students and the centaurs had been thrilled when they learned that both, Severus and Remus had returned to teach. The Grangers had been delighted at the prospect of meeting the centaurs and Severus agreed saying that he and Remus wanted to introduce Hermione to them so that when she came to Hogwarts as a student, they would also be able to protect her if somehow she accidently or on purpose, as we all know how inquisitive she is, ended up in the Forbidden Forest - they could also protect her. They had already been on two rescue search parties to find missing students that had somehow gotten lost in the forest.

When arrived at the lake, Severus and Remus took Hermione out on the dock so she could see the Giant Squid up close and personal. Remus had a tight hold on her and he had told Hermione to stay close to him and they would watch the squid together and see what he would do. Severus told her that the squid liked to play with the children when the weather was warmer and that even he and Remus had swam with the squid when they were younger. Hermione told them that she thought that would be lots of fun to do and she hoped that she could do it, too...when she was older. As they stood there watching the squid do its dance, he gently floated in the water and came up to the dock. The squid then slowly lifted one of his tentacles out of the water and brought it close to Hermione so she could check him out. Hermione giggled and as she looked up to Remus and Severus clearly seeking their permission, she then slowly extended her hand toward the squid. As she put her hand out, the squid tenderly touched her hand with the end of its tentacle. The squid softly moved his tentacle back and forth over her hand in a friendly, accepting, non-threatening way causing Hermione to giggle and she delicately reached out to hold the tentacle in both her little hands.

In a quiet whisper, Hermione said "Hello Mr. Squid...it is so nice to meet you."

The squid in turn moved the tentacle up and as gently as a feather rubbed the side of her face. Hermione looked at the squid and then a presence of peace enveloped the four of them. If the squid could smile, I am sure that it would have. Moving the tentacle back to her hands, she gave it a little squeeze and then the squid turned and headed back out into the deeper waters of the lake.  Hermione smiled as she watch the squid leave and looking at Severus and Remus told them that Mr. Squid wants all of us to come back and swim when the weather gets warmer again.. They agreed that next summer they would bring her back so she could swim with 'Mr. Squid'.

As they made their way back to the castle, Hermione reached out for Severus and snuggled into his chest as they walked back up the hill. Irma had finally joined them down at the lake while Hermione was meeting the giant squid. It was just the beginning of lunch when they arrived so Albus swiftly transformed a chair into a table big enough to fit all of us. As the Grangers, along with Severus carrying Hermione and Remus, Minerva and Irma made their way into the great hall and up to the table Albus had just created for them, they could hear the whispers of the students that were already there wondering who they were and who the little girl that was holding on to Professor Snape so tightly was. Severus glanced over to Remus who just shook his head and both, Minerva and Irma chuckled quietly. Jean whispered to Severus and Remus, "Just wait, they will only become more interested and curious as she grows, especially if we continue to visit you here." The boys nodded in knowingly agreement. Most of the first years would be graduating right before Hermione came to Hogwarts. That again could play into their favor as they would have multiple witnesses with proof that Hermione was a part of their lives and had been for a long time.

Lunch was wonderful and pretty soon the chatter of the students and their whispering were pushed to the background as Hermione was introduced to lunch at Hogwarts. Filius joined the group as lunch was being served. When most of the students had arrived, Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and introduced the Grangers to the students and informed them that they would be staying as guests in the castle for the night. Severus and Remus stood up and introduced Hermione to everyone which made the students even more curious about the little girl. Albus told the students that he expected them to be on their best behavior while the Granger family were visiting. Warning given, Albus returned to the conversation at the table and they all enjoyed a lunch for a king prepared by the house elves of Hogwarts. Hermione was instinctively drawn to the ceiling. Albus explained that it was a special spell that allowed the outside sky to shine in the hall just as if there were no roof on the room. Hermione told him that it was one of her favorite parts of "Hogwarts - A History" and then she thanked him again for her wonderful presents. By the time lunch was done, little Hermione's eyes had begun to close.  It was naptime and even though everything was so exciting she just couldn't keep her eyes open. Jean took out her blanket and enlarged it and handed it to Remus to lay over her. Hermione knowing that Severus would keep her safe as she slept, cuddled her three wolves and was promptly asleep. Minerva marveled at the fact that she could just go right to sleep even with all the noise and everything going on around her. Jean explained that when Severus or Remus had her that Hermione would feel the peace of the bond they shared and she just knew that she was safe, it was then that the feeling of contentment overtakes her and she just sleeps. Jean also told them that they were discovering that now that she knew Severus and Remus, that she was more at peace...it was like a piece of her puzzle that was missing was suddenly there and that things made more sense. She didn't feel as if she was missing something anymore and now that Hermione had pictures of Severus and Remus, in both human and wolf form, she slept better when they were a part. Her separation anxiety was almost nothing now that she had reminders of the boys and she knew that if she really needed them, they now had a way to get to them quickly via the floo. We haven't needed to use it yet, but I think she feels a lot better knowing that if she were to need them, they would be able to come to her quickly or she would be able to get to them. She isn't so off the wall when they have to leave now.

They continued to sit and talk long after the students had gone. Albus had suggested that everyone return to their rooms and rest for a bit and then everyone would reconvene in Severus and Remus quarters to discuss the things that Albus had found out and to have their question and answer session with the Grangers. Robin and Roland had nodded in agreement and had told Albus they had brought the 3 latest journals for him to read and research out of. These journals were the ones that covered the last 100 years and also contained the most current information on the soul mates that were older than the child of the bond. Albus thanked them for entrusting the journals to him and he promised to take very, very good care of them. Albus understood that they were invaluable to the Grangers and he was immensely grateful that they would entrust such a gift to him. He was looking forward to digging in and reading them. He wanted to be able to discover the intricate, valuable information on the soul bond that bound Severus, Remus and Hermione together, yes he was looking forward to dissecting it to find the golden nuggets of information that would help him to ensure that they were all safe when Hermione arrived at Hogwarts. The boys were special to him and he wanted to be able to do something special for them. Ensuring the sanctity of their bond would receive his utmost attention. He would leave no stone unturned, no crevice unchecked. He would make sure that everything was done that needed to be done. He would not rest until it was done. Albus got up and said goodbye to everyone and with a smile at Hermione who was still sleeping peacefully on Severus' chest, he turned and headed for his office. Yes, she would be perfect for both boys, he could already feel the strong magical bonds that connected them.

They reconvened in Severus and Remus' rooms two hours later. Hermione was exploring the boys rooms and was very excited to find the boys library. She let out a big howl, which startled everyone and they all just looked at each other and then started laughing.

"Has she ever howled before?" Remus asked

Robin and Roland were both laughing, "Not that we know of. Jean have you ever heard her howl?"

"No, this would be a first. Her inner wolf must be extremely happy." Jean giggled.

"Well, she did just discover the library." Severus snickered. "That could explain it. Mum, remind us to show her the school library after hours, just encase she does it again."

Irma was chuckling, "We'll show her after we take her to look at the stars. It should be very quiet by then. I take it you haven't shown her the library at Malfoy Manor?"

Remus looked amused, "No, not yet. We'll have to prepare Lucius for her reaction. Our library is small compared to the one here and at the Manor. I can only imagine her reaction when she sees both of those libraries.  If I wasn't already in love with her, that would have sealed it for me. I can feel Moony enjoying this way too much. He senses the call of his mate."

Albus, Minerva and Filius were all thinking that the boys were going to have their hands full with their wife, regardless of what age she was. Good thing that they still had 14 years before they would seal their bond and become husbands and wife. They all knew that those years would fly and their wedding day would be here before they realized it. Hermione would also arrive at Hogwarts in 8 years so the time to plan was now.

Albus got everyone's attention and started with the basic information that they would need to work on. She would enter Hogwarts being almost a full year older than most of the other students in her year. She would turn twelve, 18 days into her first year. That being fact, that also meant that she would turn 17 only 18 days into her 6th year. She would be of age in the wizarding world. The other issue was that she would turn 18 - 18 days into her 7th year. Severus, Remus and Hermione would then need to seal their bond very shortly after that and so Hermione would then be married to her two teachers at that time and according to Jean's history, after the consummation of the bond, Hermione would be pregnant with twins. So, not only did we have to decided how to handle the issues that would arise when the soul marks came in at 17, we would also have to travel the road of Hermione being not only married in her final year of schooling but married to two of her teachers and being pregnant, presumably with twins. As she will become pregnant in September - she will be close to having the babies as graduation approaches in June. Those being the facts, what we now have to work on is how best to protect not only Severus and Remus but Hermione. We should be able to work out things as they happen, but we will need a basic game plan going in. I can put special circumstances into the boys contracts so that when Hermione comes to Hogwarts things will move smoothly for them. Hopefully by then it will be a well known fact that they are her soul mates. Working with that in place should allow us some leeway into other issues that may arrive.

Jean interceded, "You must understand, that Hermione's love for Severus and Remus will grow. It will continue to slowly develop until sometime between the ages of 15 and 16. Once she reaches that age, her feelings for them will grow more romantic in nature. It is the progression of the bond. The bond knows that it must maintain propriety until a certain age. It is our belief that both Severus and Remus will also maintain an appropriate age based love for her. When her love turns toward the romantic side, we believe it will be then that Severus and Remus' love towards her will become more romantic, too. It will be then that we will need to make the adjustments. Hermione, even now finds comfort in sleeping in the same bed as the boys. That will grow as well. Speaking from what I know happened with me, Robin and Roland. I was close to 16 when the change came. It was like a light switch being switched on. One day we were all the best of friends, the next day I wanted to touch them, hold them, kiss them. I wanted to be as close to them as I could get. My parents, already having gone through it with my older brother and sisters, allowed us to spend most nights together. At that time it wasn't sexual, it was just the need to be close to them. What you need to understand is that once it switches, Hermione will seek both of them out for comfort, for physical closeness, for those hugs and kisses. It won't turn into a sexual nature until the soul marks come in at 17 and even then, it doesn't get crazy until a month or two before she will turn 18. Where we will be fortunate is that the worse of the temptations will happen during the summer and they will be with us at our home. We should be able to somewhat help them resist the temptation to give in early. We will be able to weigh the options at the time and decide whether it would be better to have them seal their bond before Hermione returns for her 7th year or if it will be better to wait and let it happen after she turns 18. It will be a waiting game and we'll have to make a judgment call at that time. Just as you will need to be open to making adjustments as the needs arise, we will be on the lookout for things as well. After the holidays, when things quiet down we will get together again and bring John and Scott with us. They are my sister, Susan's husbands and they are 15 years older. I believe their insight will be invaluable to us as we steer these unknown waters."

Albus nodded his head in agreement, "The more we know, the better prepared we will be to make the right decisions. So...if I understood you right, we will need to make preparations for Hermione to share Severus and Remus' room."

Robin smiled, "Yes, you may not be able to keep her in her own bed. It's like a pull that calls to you. We have been Jean's best friends since we were 7. We would have sleepovers at Jean's house and it never failed, we would all end up together in the same bed. Like Jean said, there was never anything sexual to it until those months before Jean turned 18. It was almost like the bond actually kept us in check. I will be interested in seeing what happens with Severus and Remus and when that change happens for them. We were naive' and really didn't care anything about sex. Our parents gave us the talk, I think right after we had our meeting with Jean's parents and found out that we were both her soul mates. We were just like okay but it really wasn't an issue. Those months before her 18th birthday, it was then that we understood why it was an issue. It became almost an obsession of wanting to be close to her, to be intimate with her, the desire to become one with her was overwhelming. It reached its peak the week before Jean turned 18."

"We made it 4 days after her 18th birthday and then we sealed the bond and have been living our happily ever after ever since." Roland added. "The thing is knowing what we do from our own experience, watching what has happened and what will be happening with our own children, we are in the best position to offer you guidance. We may decided that it is in the best interest for Severus, Remus and Hermione to seal their bond before she returns to Hogwarts for her final year. Her final year is going to be different then most students just because she will be married and pregnant. Just those two things will throw curve balls into the game. Then you add into the mix the fact that she is married to not one but two of her teachers and you have a recipe for disaster if things are not planned and thought out ahead of time."

Jean added thoughtfully, "It may be in Hermione's best interest to have her complete as much of her 7th year in her 6th year as possible. Of course, that will depend entirely on what her education to date has been like.  If she is at the top of her class, it is not too much of a stretch to think that she would be able to handle it. If she is not doing well, then that won't be an option. As Severus and Remus plan to teach our other children during the summer months, it is not inconceivable to think that Hermione may gain more insight into those two classes."

"Perhaps, Filius and myself could also teach her during those months. That way she would have 4 of the basic classes covered. As it wouldn't be prohibited from an educational standpoint, we could easily teach her and get her a little ahead of where she needs to be. Working with her over the summer on specific curriculums could boost her confidence in being able to handle more difficult matters." Minerva thought.

"As Harry and Draco will be her protectors, it doesn't seem unreasonable at all that they would also join her in learning. We could disguise it as advance learning in those areas if we were questioned about it." Remus thought.

Severus added "Anything we can do to help her prepare for what will come down the road, I say it will be a bonus. We could actually begin teaching her the year before she enters Hogwarts as she would already be there if it weren't for the fact that her birthday falls shortly after the cutoff date. She is already curious about what we do. It will also help us get a feel for how she will do." 

Severus was still thinking on it when Albus added, "I think that is a very good place to start. If Harry and Draco join her then it will look as if they are all looking to gain more knowledge instead of just her doing it on her own. It will also as Severus said allow us to measure her aptitude and it will help us to make the correct preparations for her. I like it. The other bonus is that you will be teaching other members of her family and who would deny letting her tag along and learn as well. Yes, it looks like we all have places to start. We can plan more once we meet with John and Scott. I like what we have in place so far. We have a start and an end, now we just need to fill the middle. The pieces of the puzzle will fall into place as time moves forward. For now I feel confident that we are on the right path for little Hermione."

They spent a little more time together answering questions, watching Hermione play with her wolves, and just relaxing and enjoying getting to know one another. They all left the boys' rooms and went down to dinner in the great hall. After dinner Severus, Remus with Hermione and the Grangers made their way up to the Astronomy Tower to look at the stars that were shining brilliantly in the sky. Hermione sighed a contented sigh. Severus was able to barrow the telescope and Hermione was very excited to see the stars up close. When Remus turned the telescope toward the moon, when Hermione looked in and saw the moon, she immediately grabbed her wolves out of her pockets and proceeded to hold them up toward the moon and she howled. Everyone started laughing and then looking at each other, Severus and Remus both let out a howl of their own. The look of pure love and adoration on Hermione's face said it all. 


	16. Our First Christmas Together - 1983

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CRYUnicornClear - your special request is in this chapter ~ Enjoy :)

As the Christmas holidays were quickly approaching, the children had become quite restless, very excited and severely unfocused. It was beginning to drive all the teachers just a tiny bit crazy. Severus and Remus could relate as they were getting excited themselves as this would be the first time in a very long time that they would be celebrating away from the castle. They were really looking forward to the holidays this year with it being the first year that they would be spending Christmas with Hermione and her family. They always enjoyed spending time with their mum over the holidays, but they had spent it with her at the castle. Even after they graduated they had always come back to the castle to spend the holidays with Irma. Irma would be joining them at the Grangers residence for the first week of holiday break and then she would return to Hogwarts to help look after the children that stayed. Several of the other teachers had volunteered to stay so that Irma could join the boys and her new extended family. They were all so very happy for all of them and had been quite delighted with little Hermione and her family when they had visited last month.

With the full moon falling on the 20th of December, Severus and Remus had decided to stay at the castle until the 21st. Remus hadn’t had a bad full moon since the night they received their ‘sparks’ but neither one wanted to take any chances. They were planning over the holidays to show Hermione what they looked like in their wolf forms, up close and personal. She had the picture of them in wolf form but as of yet she hadn't actually seen them where she could reach out and touch them. They had talked about it to Robin, Roland and Jean and they had been very supportive of their decision to want to include Hermione and let her see the other side of them. Remus wanted her to be as comfortable with his wolf form as much as she was content with his human form. Both boys felt that it would only increase the strength of their bond, having her be able to relate to them in wolf form. Remus was also a wolf in his animagus form and that surprised no one. Remus had decided after he and wolf found peace that he would complete his animagus training. He had been curious to see if he would also be a wolf in animagus form. Once he made the shift, Minerva had been amazed at how much he looked like his werewolf form. It was during the first full moon after he complete his animagus transformation that Remus discovered that if he was in his wolf form before he changed into his werewolf form that it wasn’t painful at all.  There were only slight differences in the two forms. Remus kept his green eye color as the wolf, but his eyes were golden when he was a werewolf. He was also a little bigger in werewolf form. He was still a grayish-silver color as both wolf and werewolf. At some point, everyone knew that Hermione would come into her own animagus form and then the three of them would be inseparable in either form, human or wolf. It wouldn’t matter which one they were in, she would be right there beside them.

Robin and Roland were planning on constructing an area for Remus to stay in during the full moons. As the boys would be spending the summers with them for the next foreseeable future, they wanted Remus to have a safe place with them for many years to come. They were hoping that even though Hermione wouldn't be able to join them until she came into her animagus form, if she knew they were in their safe spot, they were hoping that she would be content. Robin was planning on showing Severus and Remus the plans over the holidays and seeing what they needed to add or change to make it as comfortable as possible for them. They wanted everything to be perfect for Remus knowing that it was difficult enough to have to endure the change during the full moon and the recovery time after. Severus had reassured us that Remus transformations were not anywhere near as rough or trying as they were when they had been at Hogwarts. If it had not been for the extra care that Irma, Minerva and Poppy gave him things would have been much worse. It improved some after Severus completed his animagus training. It was still very painful to watch your best friend go through something like that. These days it wasn’t uncommon to find both wolves curled up next to each other in deep sleep after returning from their romp in the woods. Some full moons, the boys would stay with the centaurs helping them with whatever they needed help with. One of their favorite times with the centaurs was when they were doing night fishing. Just think about it for a minute, wolves…water…fish…centaurs…full moon…yeah it’s a recipe for a whole lot of fun. Wolves are really good at catching fish…who knew!

Irma was in charge of rounding everything up and making sure the presents were wrapped and loaded in the bag with the extendable charm on it, thank you Filius. Irma had smiled when she reflected on the gifts that she had Molly Weasley make for her to give the boys and Hermione. Molly was known for her Christmas jumpers and Irma had given her a picture of Hermione holding her three wolves back in September and asked her if she would make them for her to give at Christmas time. She had explain to her that Severus was the black wolf, Remus was the grayish-silver wolf and Hermione was the sienna-brown wolf. Molly had been only too happy to help Irma out with her gift and now the three jumpers were wrapped and in the bottom of the bag so they wouldn’t be seen until it was time. Each jumper was emerald green with a wolf in each of their colors on the front. Come Christmas morning they would all match and Irma was already anticipating the wonderful pictures that would be taken and she would then be happily trying to decide just where to place each one around her rooms. Christmas had always been one of Irma’s favorite times of the year and this year would be one of the best yet. It would be the first time in a very long time that Irma had been away from the castle for Christmas and she felt like a little kid on Christmas morning herself, just wondering what kind of wonderful memories would be made together with her boys and Granger family. Jean had let her know that they were planning to surprise Hermione, Severus and Remus and take everyone to the zoo after Christmas. The zoo was promoting a new wolf exhibit and Jean thought that it would be a perfect surprise for the three of them. Irma had wholeheartedly agreed and couldn’t wait to see the look on Hermione’s face when she saw all the wolves. She knew that her boys would also enjoy the zoo trip immensely.

Jean had explained that on Christmas Eve day all the kids came over with their families and it was just one big party from sunrise to sunset with lots of food, laughter, and fun. The kids loved it and then before everyone left to go home, they would hand out everyone’s Christmas pajamas. Every family had a different theme, from Santas, Reindeers, Christmas presents or trees, Jingle bells and Stars.  Every year half the fun was finding the different patterns and then getting a pair for every member of the family. Jean had confided to Irma that along with the set that Hermione would receive that match theirs, they had decided that this would be the first year that Hermione would also receive a set that would match her future husbands. Jean was confident that Hermione would thoroughly enjoy the fact that she matched Severus, Remus and Irma.

 

**_Christmas at the Grangers_ **

**_December 1983_ **

****

Everything was finally ready and they arrived at the Grangers mid-afternoon on the 21st. Hermione was very happy to see us and even more excited that we would staying until after the New Year. She was a little sad to hear that Grandmum Irma was going to have to go back earlier, but Irma promised that next year she would find extra help so she could stay the whole time. That seemed to pacify Hermione and she proceeded to help Severus and Remus take their things to their rooms. Remus still kept his own room so that he could have a little privacy even though it was now a known fact that Hermione would be patiently or not so patiently waiting in Severus’ bed for the boys to join her for sleep time. Her favorite time was right before they would go to sleep when the boys would hold her and tell her stories of when they went to school or some of the fun times they had when they were her age. Even though both boys didn’t have many happy childhood memories, they did have some and those were the ones that they shared with Hermione. She would listen intently to everything they said, absorbing it like the little sponge she was. She loved their stories and she especially liked the ones they told of their adventures as wolves running through the Forbidden Forest. She would giggle and make little wolf noises as she listened to them tell their tales. When she would begin to yawn, they knew it was time to wrap up the stories and snuggle in tight. The way that Hermione looked at them melted their hearts. At times, neither boy could believe that such a small little girl could have such a big impact on their lives and they honestly couldn’t understand how they could love her more than they did right now. It was so hard to comprehend at times.

Before they knew it, it was Christmas Eve and the Granger house was filled with laughter as all the Granger’s children arrived with their children. Hermione stayed glued to the boys as she didn’t really like all the ruckus and noise. Jean told them it was probably because she was basically an only child except for holidays and summers when the three children next to her in age would be home from school. It was probably also due to the fact that Kayleigh and Kevin were 17 now and Kathleen was 14. There was such a huge age difference that Hermione was left alone most of the time as the other three were busy with their own lives and soul mates. Kayleigh and Kevin would be married next year. Kathleen would marry the June before Hermione turned 9. When they thought about it, they realized how fast time would fly and before they knew it Hermione would be with them at Hogwarts and they would be planning their own wedding. Time stood still for no one and they didn't want to miss a single moment.

Dinner was a major production with so many people but Jean handled it like the pro she was, directing Robin and Roland, organizing the food in a buffet style line so everyone could help themselves, getting the older kids to help the younger ones while parents each helped supervise their families making sure everyone had a plate full of food. Severus and Remus just stood there watching everyone and they were amazed that except for a few little minor accidents, everything flowed like a well oiled machine. Hermione came over wanting them to help her get her food and with Irma by their side they entered the fray and joined in. There was so much laughter and a good time was being had by all. When everyone had their food and were seated around the kitchen and dining room, Robin said the prayer of thanksgiving and Roland spoke the blessing over the family. Jean ended it by thanking everyone for coming and expressing her love of family and how grateful she was for all of us. Then everyone ate. If anyone went hungry that was strictly their own fault as there was so much food. We discovered that Hermione loved ham and mashed potatoes with corn. She dug right in and in no time her plate was empty and she was asking for more. The fruit salad was amazing with so many different pieces of fruit, some of which we weren’t sure what kind of fruit it was, but it was yummy. Hermione enjoyed three helpings of it. Sure they were small helpings, but it was fun to watch her eat and then ask for more...more please she would say and then give us this big grin.

Once dinner was over we all ventured into the living room for after dinner talk. Hermione’s older siblings were interested in what Severus and Remus taught and soon the discussion turned to them teaching their subjects to the family during summer break. Robin and Roland joined in and soon everyone was looking forward to learning from the boys. Severus mentioned that Lucius and James would also be interested in teaching them different aspects of magic, and that Minerva had alluded to wanting to teach them Transfiguration. If in the future anyone wanted to become an animagus she was willing to teach them. They would need to decide if they could be fully committed before they began as it was not only time consuming but it took time to complete the full change. It was not something to take lightly. Hermione’s brothers had been very curious about it. Remus told them if they were available after the holidays to come over and the boys would show them themselves in their animagus forms. They informed them that they were going to show Hermione at some point over the holidays. Severus added that Filius wanted to teach them about Charms and would also be coming around over the summer months. It seemed that they would all be getting a magical education and were excited to learn all they could.

A short time later, Jean rounded everyone up and past out the presents with each families Christmas pajamas in them. It was controlled chaos as everyone opened their jammies. Severus and Remus looked at each other when Jean smiled at them and handed them their presents.

“Welcome to our family Severus, Remus and Irma.” Jean grinned

Hermione had run over to them when they received their presents and watched intently as they all opened their gifts. Both boys pulled out pajamas bottoms that were covered in wolves in green and red plaid. Severus’ top was green with a wolf on it, while Remus’ top was red with a wolf on it. Irma’s was a nightgown covered in her precious wolves. Hermione squealed when she saw them with their wolf jammies. It was then that Robin and Roland came over and with Jean watching closely handed Hermione her gift. Hermione looked up at her parents and then proceeded to rip her present opened. When she saw what was inside, she turned around and hugged her parents. Laying neatly inside was her set of jammies covered in wolves. She was so excited that she insisted that they all went upstairs and put their jammies on right now. As everyone was preparing to leave and head back to their own homes, Severus and Remus with Irma wished them all a very Happy Christmas with assurances that they would see everyone again soon. Hermione was getting impatient and was doing her best to herd ‘her boys’ up the stairs to get their jammies on. Jean took Hermione to her room to get her changed while the boys were changing into theirs. They met back out in the hallway and Hermione giggled loudly while telling both boys that she loved their jammies. Reaching out to Severus, she held out her little arms so he would pick her up and back down they went to enjoy the quiet of Christmas Eve. After a few minutes, the Grangers joined them in their Christmas jammies. This year they had chosen reindeer ones for themselves. Jean went on to explain the tradition and why they gave everyone ‘Christmas jammies’. It had started when the first 5 kids were small and they wanted to dress up everyone the same. They had decided that jammies were the perfect way to do that without all the fuss of having to buy outfits. It was simple and as each child grew and had families of their own it became a challenged to find different designs for each individual family. Sometimes, Jean would recruit Brenda to help as she was a brilliant seamstress and could sew anything, together they would locate the most interesting fabric to make the jammies.

Jean confessed that this was her most favorite part of Christmas Eve, just sitting and talking with the family that was here and watching the fire, listening to the church bells ring in the distance and when it snowed, as it was doing right now, watching the snow cover their world in white, magical flakes and creating a peace on earth with good will toward all. This was in her eyes the magic of Christmas and what she enjoyed the most. Hermione and her wolves were snuggled up tight on Severus’ chest as she silently took in her surroundings, feeling the love that was radiating back at her from those that were all around her. In her little mind, she was thinking that this…this was what love was. Her Sev’us and Remus, Grandmum Irma and her mummy and daddies. All was well in her world.

It wasn’t long and it was time to head to bed. Tomorrow would bring more excitement as it was Christmas day! Severus, Remus and Irma thanked the Grangers for a wonderful day and as they climbed the stairs, Hermione was singing 'Only one more sleep til Christmas' from the 'Muppet Christmas Carol' that they had watched the other night. They left the Grangers to handle the finishing touches of putting out the presents for Christmas morning.   

 

**_Christmas morning – 1983_ **

 

Christmas morning dawned with snow gently falling and it had gathered into quite the accumulation making it a winter wonderland outside. It had continued to snow throughout the night as everyone slept. It looked like there was a good 8-10 inches now covering the ground. Hermione had patiently waited until around 7 and then not being able to conceal her excitement any longer proceeded to pounce on her unsuspecting boys, Severus let out a loud umphhhh and Remus growled at her as they rolled over on their sides staying blissfully asleep, much to the annoyance of Hermione. She however was a very determined 4 year old and decided that if they wouldn’t get up the easy way she would resort to torture – the four year old way. She went over to the window that had a nice coat of frost on it and placed her little hands on the window absorbing the ice and cold. Once her hands were nice and cold she went back to the bed and climbing over the covers put her hands on Remus and Severus’ faces. Both boys let out a howl and grabbed her hands causing her to squeal loudly as they started tickling her. If anyone was still sleeping they weren't now. Her laughter and giggles rang through the house welcoming in Christmas morning.  

Once everyone had made their way to the Granger’s living room with their coffee or tea, Christmas morning began. Hermione was giggling as she helped her dads pass out the presents. She came over and sat down on Remus’ lap so she had a good view of everything. Jean counted down from 10 and as she said go, everyone began to open their presents. Severus and Remus helped Hermione with hers, watching and taking in the pure joy that was going on around them. Irma was intently watching and the smile on her face showed the excitement she felt of being a part of all this and she was enjoying every second of it. Severus had received several rare books on potions and a set of very distinguished black dress robes. Remus received several rare books, one being on 'Werewolf Behaviors: Fact or Fiction' that Jean had thought would be an interesting read for him. He had also been given a very handsome set of dress robes. They also received their own copy of the journals that the Grangers had loaned to Albus. They wanted the boys to be able to read them at their leisure so that they could learn more about the family and then when they had questions they could come to them and ask.

When the boys opened Irma’s presents, they were totally speechless for a brief moment and then they gave her a big hug and thanked her for such a thoughtful gift. Hermione was fascinated by the jumpers that the boys had received with their wolves on them. Irma nudge her to open hers, when she did her eyes got real big and jumped into Irma’s arms giving her a big hug and many kisses. Irma told her that she could put it on later when they got dressed and Hermione grinned ear to ear. She informed Severus and Remus that they had to wear theirs so that they all matched. The boys gave her a group hug and told her that they wouldn’t dream of wearing anything else.

After a little while, Robin and Roland went out and brought in Hermione’s big present. She just stared at it for a minute and then looking up at her dads, they gave her a nod and she started to unwrap it. Severus and Remus were right by her side and as she finished pulling off the final piece of paper, she let out a very loud squeal followed by several howls and she ran over to her dads and hugged them tight. They had made her a playset for her wolves complete with a den where they would sleep, but the best part was they had made a copy of the Hogwarts castle and the forest so that the wolves could run and play. It was so beautiful, Robin had charmed it so the full moon would rise over the castle at night and Roland had spelled it to let the wolves run through the forest by themselves. They had added the Black Lake complete with a moving Giant Squid. The castle even opened up to revel the Great Hall, it also had moving staircases, the library and it even had the boys rooms. Hermione was spellbound as she looked at all the different features and what they would do. They had even crafted lifelike figures that looked like Albus, Minerva, Filius, Irma, and the boys. They had even included one of Hermione. Remus and Severus were admiring the detail that had gone into making it. Both boys were majorly impressed with what Robin and Roland had created for her. Hermione’s dads were very proud of how it had turned out. They just knew that she would have hours of fun discovering everything that they had worked into it.

The rest of Christmas day was quiet and peaceful filled with lots of conversation and good food and just enjoying the day together. When Hermione curled up for her nap, the boys got out one of their new books and began to read while she slept. After dinner they all bundled up and went for a walk to take in all the Christmas lights and festivities going on around them. It was one of the best Christmas’ that Irma, Severus and Remus had enjoyed and they all acknowledged that Christmas’ from now on were going to be full of wonderful new surprises. Before they slipped off to bed that night Severus, Remus and Irma thanked the Grangers for a truly amazing Christmas telling them how much they all appreciated everything they’ve done for them and how much they love being a part of their family. 

 

_**A visit to the zoo** _

 

A few days later Jean sprung her surprise on Hermione and the boys telling them that they were going to spend the day at the zoo. Hermione was thrilled and informed Severus and Remus that the zoo was one of her favorite places in the whole wide world. The boys had laughed and told her that they enjoyed the zoo, too. They were very excited to be able to go to the zoo with her and see all her favorite animals. Jean had decided to keep it a secret about the wolf exhibit so they could all watch Hermione’s reaction when she figured out what it was.

They arrived shortly after the zoo opened and spent most of the morning touring the lions, tigers and bears…oh my! Hermione told them that one of her favorite animals were the polar bears, because as she put it, ‘They are so cute and fluffy!’ Who were we to argue with her logic. Hermione really enjoyed the part with all the sea creatures. She loved the tank that had all the colorful fishies in it, showing them the ones that looked like Dory and Nemo. She chattered on and on about the things that she knew and listened intently when Severus and Remus would tell her things she didn’t know. At lunchtime, they all took a break and had a quick lunch of hamburgers and fries. When they were done, they left to take in the bird exhibit. Hermione was fascinated and couldn’t get over all the different birds. She especially liked the owl habitat and immediately saw one that looked just like Buttons. They continued on making their way through more exhibits while enjoying listening to Hermione talk about what they were seeing. It was enjoyable to see the zoo through her eyes, she rarely missed anything and her knowledge was amazing for her age.

As they came around the corner to head to the last exhibit, Hermione let out a screech and took off running. Severus and Remus were right behind her in an instance to make sure nothing happened to her. She stopped and pointed at all the wolves with a huge smile on her face. She could not have been happier as she stood there taking it all in and clapping her hands excitedly. She held up her arms so Severus could pick her up so she could see them all better. There were many different colored wolves, and wolves of all sizes. She was absolutely amazed when they arrived at the den and she could see the baby wolves with their mum. They ended up spending over an hour watching the wolves at play and watching the babies. Hermione would just stare and watch them in total wonderment. She would hold out her wolves as if to show them the other wolves as Severus and Remus took turns reading to her the information on the information boards. When it was finally time to go, they stopped at the gift store on the way out and the boys bought her a book on the wolves. She was very excited and showed the girl who checked them out her wolves. It had been a truly marvelous day and they had all had such a great time together. Hermione had asked the boys if they would read her wolf book to her after dinner and they had assured her that they would be more than happy to read to her.

When they arrived back home, Severus and Remus with Irma and Robin, Roland and Jean went into the living room with Hermione. Jean held Hermione on her lap with Irma on her right side as they sat on the couch. Robin stood with Severus while Roland stood by Remus. Remus went over to Hermione and softly told her that they wanted to show her something very special and that only a few people would ever get to see this. Hermione’s little inquiring mind was going full circle with anticipation trying to figure out what they wanted to show her. Remus backed up and stood between Roland and Severus, both boys looked at one another and Remus counted 1…2…3 and poof…standing in front of them were Severus and Remus in their wolf forms. Hermione let out a howl and hopped right off her mum’s lap and was standing in front of both wolves before anyone else moved. It was then that Robin and Roland knelt down in front of her with the boys and she gently went up to Remus and held out her hand so he could smell her. Once he recognized her scent Remus proceeded to lick her face and she gave him a bear hug. They did the same process with Severus and it wasn’t long until Hermione was on the floor with both boys wrestling with them. Jean and Irma quietly conversed agreeing that both boys were beautiful in their wolf forms and that Hermione was totally enamored with them like this. They played with her for a little while and when they noticed that Hermione was starting to get tired, they both curled up around her, wrapping her in a tight circle and the three took a nap.

Later that night when the three headed to bed, Hermione asked them if they could sleep in their wolf forms so she could snuggle with them all night. Severus and Remus both smiled at her and as they put her in bed, they transformed into their wolves. Hermione let out a contented sigh and curled up in a circle with her wolves. As the two wolves and one child slept, Robin and Jean with Roland and Irma looking on too, looked in on the three to find little Hermione nestled tightly in her very own wolf pile. As they shut the door and headed to their own rooms, they all agreed that – that special picture would be going on the mantles in all of their homes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are now time jumping to June 1988.


	17. Flying through the Years to 1988

_**June 1988** _

 

The last four years had quickly flown by and Hermione had grown into a beautiful, confident while feisty eight year old girl with a head of elegant although bushy, brown hair that was full of soft curls that cascaded down the middle of her back. In the last few months she had a bit of a growth spurt and was quickly approaching 4 feet. She had an underlying peace and calm about her that brought peace to those around her, which most of the time were Harry and Draco. Their parents had dubbed them the three musketeers, well because they were always together and usually coming up with some outrageous plot to take over their little corner of the world. They were usually found exploring and going on new adventures in the comfort of the Grangers fortress as Harry and Draco called it. The Grangers had quite a bit of land that bordered the ocean and so they had quite the safe playground to explore. They knew the rules, the most important one being to never go into the ocean without an adult present and after losing their privileges on several occasions, they quickly learned that if one of them didn’t want to be left out they best stay out of trouble. All three quickly learned that the rules were in place to keep them safe and disobeying the rules had consequences that none of them wanted to endure, mainly being separated from the other two. As was the case on many occasions, they would all earn a time out because if one bent the rules then the other two were usually right behind them. Jean and Cissy on any given day had their hands full with three very active, imaginative children. It was all good though as they would laugh over dinner and share the many different antics that the children had gotten into during the day. Lucius and James would give Harry and Draco the look with the raised eyebrow that they had both learned from Severus and they would for a short time be on their best behavior as both boys knew if they pushed the boundaries too far that their punishment would be to have to stay home for a few days. That was worse than any other punishment times ten. Harry and Draco loved being at the Grangers and they were growing up happy, carefree and content. All was good in their little worlds.

Harry and Draco were both entertaining their own growth spurts at the moment and had surpassed Hermione a few months ago much to Hermione’s dismay as they now referred to her as their little sister. She showed them what she thought about that as she accidentally or on purpose, it depends on your point of view, hexed both of them with a jiggly leg hex and then she proceeded to sit there and laugh at them. Jean and Cissy found them after about ten minutes and it then took several more minutes for Jean and Cissy to get the boys back on solid legs. Needless to say, Hermione ended up in her room for an hour while she focused on writing an essay on why she would not hex her best friends. Jean had sent word to Severus and Remus, who had flooed in after classes and had the unpleasant duty to talk to their future wife on the reasons why ‘we don’t hex our friends’.  Hermione having been severely chastise first by her parents and then by ‘her’ boys, knew that as bad as it was to see the disappointment on her parents faces, she did not want to face seeing the disappointment on Severus and Remus’ faces, not ever again. She was heartbroken thinking that they would stop loving her and spent the next hour crying inconsolably until Severus and Remus could no longer take it, came back in her room and scooped her up, reassuring her that they loved her but they didn’t approve of what she had done. After she was settled down enough to speak, she went down stairs and with tears still running down her face grabbed both Harry and Draco and told them how sorry she was and that she would never do that again. Within minutes the three were running outside to see what other trouble they could get into. Hermione was a little more subdued that night, but felt much better when Severus and Remus were given permission to stay the night and as they snuggled her tight as she drifted off to sleep, she felt her peace return and knew that everything would be alright.  

Homeschooling was going very well and they were just finishing up Hermione, Harry and Draco’s 3rd year. The three worked together in unison and where Hermione was strong already in reading, she spent time with Harry and Draco helping them learn the words they didn’t know. Draco was very good at math and so he would help Harry and Hermione when they struggled with a problem. Harry loved history and was known to spout of facts about certain times in history much to Draco and Hermione’s excitement and then all of them would sit and discuss it. All three children had minds that absorbed every bit of knowledge they could just like a sponge and at any given time, one or two or all three together could spout off said given facts with almost word for word perfection. Often Jean and Cissy would just smile and shake their heads wondering how on earth the three of them could remembered so many infinite details. It was like watching the three of them putting a puzzle together only the puzzle they were working on was knowledge and learning. Even with Draco and Harry being almost a year younger than Hermione it didn’t seem to matter. Each of them had their strong areas and they easily intertwined their respective knowledge into one forming an even stronger bond between the three. Cissy taught them different aspects of magic, the history behind magic. She also taught them on purebloods, half-bloods and muggleborns. Cissy wanted them to know that just because someone came from parents with no magic, it didn’t make them any less than someone that came from pureblood parents. It was important to respect everyone. This last year Cissy had begun to introduce more of the dynamics of magic into their schooling. She wanted them to be prepared and have the knowledge behind what they would learn when they went to Hogwarts. Cissy felt that if they understood the how and why behind magic it would actually enhance the process of performing the spells. They really enjoyed the learning and all three of them were excelling in all their studies. Draco really enjoyed the extra time he got to spend with his mum and it made him respect her even more. He was amazed that she knew so many different things about magic and he was really glad that Hermione and Harry also got to reap the benefits of her knowledge.

Each year Jean and Cissy would plan out field trips to correspond with what they were studying. The big trips they would all take together as families except for the Potters. James and Harry would attend by themselves without Lily who was now obsessed with Harry’s little sister, Jamie who was born on March 18, 1984. Since then Lily wanted nothing to do with Harry or James. It had worked out well for them as they both enjoyed spending time with the Grangers and with the others without having the burden of having to explain everything to Lily. Seeing as Jean and Cissy were homeschooling Harry it gave them an excuse to stay out of her way and away from home. Still it was sad and at times, Jean would just gather James in and give him a big hug telling him that things had a way of working out for the best even if sometimes it wasn’t what we thought would happen. James had confided to Robin and Roland last summer that he was thinking of divorcing Lily, but he wasn’t sure what to do. He was still on the fence, but James was almost positive that she would agree to James keeping Harry if she got to keep Jamie. It was a mess but it wasn’t his fault totally. She refuse to listen to reason and had isolated both him and Harry. She had become totally obsessed with Jamie and it was if Harry didn’t even exist. Harry for his part, felt that Jean was more a mother to him than his own and had even started calling Jean, mum. The Grangers had assured James that if he did go through and divorce Lily that he and Harry were more than welcomed to move in and stay with them as long as they needed until they figured out what they were going to do. As Harry practically lived here anyways and had his own room that he shared with Draco, it wouldn’t be a problem to give James one of the other empty rooms. The one thing the Granger house had was lots of bedrooms. James had hugged Jean and thanked her, Robin and Roland for being people he could trust and would seriously consider their generous offer. Remus, Severus and Lucius said they would do whatever he needed done, all he needed to do was asked and they would there pronto.

Last year the families had ventured to Paris to take in the sights and museums. The kids had been captivated by all the different places there were to see. One of their favorites was of course, the Eiffle Tower. They had booked reservations at the restaurant on the second floor of the Tower and everyone had thoroughly enjoyed their meals. They took the elevator to the top so they could see everything from a bird eyes view. Draco had wondered if they would be birds of some kind when they took their animagus forms. Yes…Minerva was already working with all three to prepare them for when the real training would begin. It was decided that when the children began their training, so would the adults. James was planning on doing the training with Harry. Lucius and Cissy were both going to learn with Draco and Robin, Roland and Jean were going to learn with Hermione. As it was very important to learn with another animagus, Minerva along with Severus and Remus would help guide the other families. Minerva was going to begin their training the summer that the boys turned 10 which was also right before they would go to Hogwarts. The thinking was that if all the planning and preparations to take their forms was done before hand, it was conceivable that by the end of summer before they boarded the train to Hogwarts they would all make the change.

The visit to the Louvre Museum was enjoyed by everyone. The kids were absolutely spellbound, completely enjoying all the different rooms and attractions inside. The kids decided that the Egyptian rooms were their favorites with 20 rooms to look through, the wealth of knowledge just waiting to be absorbed into their brains was astonishing. They had come home and spent hours discussing everything that they had seen. Severus and Remus had purchased the three of them several different books covering the items that they had seen and learned about while they were there so they could revisit things over and over again. They also enjoyed the painting of the Mona Lisa seeing as it is one of the most famous paintings in the world. They all enjoyed the trip and they had a picture party when they returned so that everyone could get copies of all the different photos that had been taken. Irma had joked that she was going to need more shelves to house all of her new favorite pictures. Her favorite one was the one of the four of them at the Eiffel Tower with the city in the background. Severus and Remus were both holding Hermione and Irma was in front of them. It was a lovely picture and one that she would cherish…always.

They also visited the Notre Dame de Paris and were completely in awe of the architecture and the history of it. They spent several hours just exploring and learning. They spent many days just walking through the city and taking in the sites as well as teaching the kids the history behind the different places they visited. They visited several magical museums and were amazed at all the different aspects of history from a magical point of view. The kids had even more books given to them that they would devour over the course of the summer. The last part of their trip was spent in Disneyland Paris and for two days, the kids and most of the adults, spent it screaming and laughing and having the time of their lives just being kids and big kids in the most magical place on earth, or so a little mouse said. A great time had been had by all. The proof was in the group picture they had taken in front of the castle with all of them wearing their Mickey Mouse ears and yes...even Severus was sporting a set of ears. (Go ahead and picture it...Severus Snape with Mickey Mouse ears on...priceless! Why should I have all the fun? You’re welcome!)

This year they going to visit several places. Harry had become just a little obsessed, okay maybe more than a little, with the R.M.S. Titanic ever since Robert Ballard had found the ship in the summer of 1985. Draco and Hermione had also become engrossed in finding out all they could about the ship that was said to be unsinkable, but had sunk on her maiden voyage after hitting an iceberg at 11:40pm on the night of April 14th, 1912. Titanic had sank beneath the waters at 2:20am on April 15th taking 1500 souls with her. There were so many theories and stories about how she sank, why she sank, stories from survivors, did she break in half or didn’t she. It had kept the three of them busy for hours pouring over every book they could get their hands on. Severus and Remus had even joined in on their explorations going over facts and fiction. Helping them come up with their own conclusions with what they knew. All three children had received multiple copies of books on Titanic and Jean and Cissy even had them reading “A Night to Remember” by Walter Lord for their last school book report. The more they learned, the more they wanted to know and so this August they were all going to be traveling to Belfast, in North Ireland to visit the Harland and Wolff shipyards where Titanic was built and to see the museum that was there. They also planned a trip to the cemetery where many of the deceased were buried. Then they would be traveling the Southampton to see where Titanic had set sail. They were planning on visiting several museums that were set up to honor those that had fallen when the great ship had sunk. They were also planning to travel to the birthplace of Thomas Andrews, the shipbuilder of Titanic, he went down with the ship. The ship had been carrying some of the wealthiest people that had lived during that time and sadly many of them had perished on that fateful night. There would also be a Titanic exhibit opening in London in the coming months, Jean and Cissy were already making plans to purchase the tickets for everyone. James had found Titanic T-shirts for the three of them and they wore them constantly. The adults just smiled knowing that the three could easily pass as triplets. Cissy and Jean often would dress them a like on purpose just to get a look out of other people when they went by.

The past summers had been interesting and exciting as Hermione, Harry and Draco were allowed to watch and interact with Severus, Remus, Minerva and Filius as they came and taught Hermione’s family the basic magic courses. It had been fun to watch them learn and already all three were very proficient at the basic knowledge of potions, transfiguration, charms and defense. This summer Severus was going to begin teaching them the easiest potions to brew. He figured that it wouldn’t hurt to start giving them hands on experience to help with the book knowledge that they were all absorbing at record pace. Severus already knew Hermione was a sponge, but had been totally surprised that Draco and Harry were also able to grasp and remember everything they were being taught. Lucius and James had been equally impressed and often they helped the others with the hands on teaching. James was mesmerized by how the three performed tasks in rhythm and almost perfect synchronization with each other. They would break down each task and then divide and conquer. The results left the adults on more than one occasion, wondering how on earth they had figure it out and come up with the conclusion. It was actually a very exciting time for all of them as they watched how much closer and in synch the three kids became as they grew.

Remus and Filius were planning to start teaching the three of them dueling techniques this summer. They had the book knowledge down to a tee, now it was time to put it into action. Filius was also planning on teaching them beginning charms, they could all do ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ with their eyes closed. They each took turns seeing what objects they could float over the others heads and then conveniently drop said item on the others head. Much giggling would ensue especially if they happen to be lifting water balloons with the intent of seeing who could get whom the wettest. It was when they turned their fun on the adults that chaos would begin and then it was war. Many a water balloon fight was fought in the name of fun in the summer sun. Minerva was going to start teaching them the easiest transfigurations starting with matches to needles. Seeing as they had their wands now, things were going to get interesting.

It had been decided over Easter break that the adults would allow each child to get their first wand. It had been a very exciting day in May when the three families invaded Ollivander’s wand shop to acquire each child’s wand. While most children didn’t get their wands until they turned 11 and were getting ready to go to Hogwarts, exceptions could be made and with these three it was felt that it was warranted. The three were exceptional at controlling their magic and had even displayed at their early ages the ability to do some minor wandless magic. As this was a very important step in their growing process it was treated with the dignity that was required of receiving such a special opportunity. After spending over an hour with Mr. Ollivander each child now had in their possession their specially crafted wands. As the children excitedly talked about their wands, the parents talked to Garrick and told them what they were up to. He was impressed with each of them and remarked on how well behaved they all were. He commented that they were more mature than most of the 11 year olds that came in. After thanking Mr. Ollivander again for their beautiful wands, the group head off to get some ice cream before apparating home to allow the children to try out their new wands, but first the rules would be set and each child would be responsible to follow the rules or face the consequences. The rules were simple and logical: no pointing their wands at each other even in play, they were only allowed to use their wands in the presence of their parents or when the teachers were instructing them and they were to remain respectful of the exceptional privilege that they had been given at all times. If they disobeyed the rules then they would have their wand taken for a period of time and would only be able to watch as the others participated. It had only taken one slip-up from each child to learn that lesson quickly and so the kids had been on their best behavior from that point on as they had no desire to miss out on any of the learning that was going on.

They enjoyed learning from all the different teachers that came and went over the summers and each one was excited to learn and discover more about what interested them the most. Both boys were very interested in Defense against the Dark Arts and they figured that it would come in handy down the road. Although they were still young and really didn’t understand everything yet, they did know that at some point in the future they were expected to protect Hermione and each boy wanted to do their very best to be prepared for when that day came. Hermione was fascinated by both potions and transfiguration, although she enjoyed charms as well. She spent time with Remus, who went into great detail on the importance of being able to defend herself if needed. Remus was determined that if Hermione was ever in a position where Harry and Draco or he and Severus couldn’t get to her that she would be able to hold her own until they could reach her. God help the person that would be stupid enough to try to harm her. Harry and Draco both were already showing great strength in being able to defend themselves against spells thrown their way. Remus figured that it would only intensify as they grew.

Last summer Lucius had surprised the three children with their first brooms. All three were naturals at riding their brooms and it wasn’t long before Lucius, James, Severus and Remus had them learning Quidditch. Harry was a natural Seeker, Hermione and Draco were both promising Chasers. All four adults had laughed when they thought of the three of them playing Quidditch at Hogwarts, hopefully on the same team. James laughed and said that Lily was sure to have another cow if Harry was sorted into any house other than Gryffindor. Severus and Remus both laughed and said, ‘watch him be sorted into Slytherin’!!  Lucius just grinned thinking that it wouldn’t be the first time the hat caused complete chaos during the sorting ceremony. Oh what he wouldn’t give to be there and see it. He might just have to put in a special request to witness that class being sorted.

So life went on for our trio. They grew…they learned…they played…and the bond between them grew. They spent more time together than they did apart and in doing so the bond nurtured and molded their relationship so the three became as close to siblings as could be. Closer than a brother was a very good way to describe what Draco and Harry had become to Hermione. She loved them dearly and felt quite lost when they weren’t around. She enjoyed having them around and didn’t feel so lonely when they were with her. Even though her separation anxiety with being away from Severus and Remus still raised its ugly head from time to time, it wasn’t as bad when Draco and Harry were around. She still missed them, sometimes terribly and it did get the best of her some days, but she knew that if she was really hurting all she needed to do was let them know and they would be there as soon as they could. Thank goodness it didn’t happen often. As Hermione grew and the bond she shared with Severus and Remus grew the more she valued the time she did have with them. During the holidays last year she had told them they only had 10 more years to wait and they would be married and spending their first Christmas as husbands and wife. She had giggled and then snuggled both of them as tight as she could.

A few weeks ago toward the end of May, James and Harry had arrived at the Grangers with their bags and personal items in a state of distress. Jean had hurried them in and called Robin and Roland asking them to hurry home as quickly as they could. Cissy had gone to ask the elves to provide tea and biscuits for the group, she quickly sent Lucius a message asking him to come as fast as he could, while Jean had lead a very upset James to the couch.  Severus and Remus had been sent a message to come as quickly as they could get away. Hermione and Draco had come out of the library and hurrying over to Harry quickly wrapped him in their arms to comfort their other half. Jean asked Draco and Hermione to help take Harry’s bags to his room and then to quietly play upstairs until they were called down. Jean had Mitzy the elf take up cookies and drink for the kids and to also watch over them and keep them occupied while she and Cissy found out what had happened from James.

In less than 10 minutes the living room was full of people as Lucius, Severus, Remus, Robin and Roland arrived to find out what was going on. Jean and Cissy apologized for the brief messages that probably had worried them with the vagueness of the summons, but they were grateful they had all been able to arrive so quickly. Taking one look at James, they all knew something of major importance had happen. Once they were assured that the children were occupied and wouldn’t be interrupting them and they had all been given a cup of tea, James took a deep breath and began.

“I’ve known something was up for a while now. I just didn’t know it had come to this. Lily told me this morning that she was leaving me for another man, some Derek Winters and that she is 2 months pregnant with his baby. She informed me that she was keeping Jamie but she didn’t want Harry and that I could keep him. I told her she was cold hearted bitch and if she thought she was going to get anything out of me, she was sadly mistaken. That’s when she informed me that Jamie was Derek’s and not mine and that she really didn’t care because she had what she wanted and didn’t need me or Harry. Unfortunately I didn’t know that Harry was listening to everything that was going on and well…he is having a very rough time with it all. She handed me the divorce papers and picked up Jamie and left…she just left…she didn’t even fucking say goodbye to Harry. What kind of mother does that? It’s bad enough that she just dropped all this shite on me but now I need to try and explain to Harry why his fucking slut of a mother just abandoned him without even a goodbye.”  James broke down and sobbed after that, Jean and Cissy quickly embraced him in a tight hug telling him to just let it out. They were all there for him and for Harry and they would not let anything happen to them.

Meanwhile the men just stood there in total shock. They knew Lily was awful at times but they had no idea that she would stoop this low. If looks could kill she would be dead and the scowl on Lucius and Severus’ faces said it all. As James worked on trying to compose himself, Lucius pulled Robin and Roland over to where Severus and Remus were standing and began to discuss a game plan to help James out. Getting out of his marriage would not be a problem seeing as Lily had been unfaithful, no…the issue would be protecting James and Harry from the fall out and to make sure she couldn’t weasel her way back in when this Derek dumped her sorry ass or trying to get James to pay for things after the fact. Lucius was very influential and knew several top rate lawyers that would make Lily wish she had never been born. The other issue was Jamie’s paternity, it would be important to establish just who the father really was. Sure she had said that Jamie was this Derek’s kid but whether or not that was the truth would need to be proven. They had an important piece of evidence against Lily and that would be the memories that James was in possession of. The next thing they wanted to do was protect Harry. When this shit hit the papers it would be big news in the wizarding world and making sure that Harry was kept away from all of it would be vital. Lucius suggested that they establish custody right away. She had freely and without any thought thrown Harry away and it would be important to make James, Harry’s legal and only guardian and to physically strip all of Lily’s rights to him. It was logical that seeing as Severus and Remus were Harry’s godfathers, that they would be made secondary guardians in the case that James became unable to take care of Harry thus ensuring that Lily would not be able to take him away. Lucius would use his connections and by sometime tonight it would be done and binding. Robin and Roland both acknowledged that keeping Harry here would be the safest. They had no problem going off the grid for awhile to keep young Harry safe. Severus quickly sent his patronus to Filius asking him to come as soon as he could. He would be able to help Remus, Severus and the rest of them anchor the house and make it unplotable and strengthen the wards to repel unwanted guests. While they had been making plans and discussing what needed to be taken care of James had pulled himself together and was listening intently to what they were coming up with. After a few more minutes to just get his bearings and his thoughts together, James joined the group more than willing to follow what the others had thought would be the best. As the Grangers had already offered James and Harry the sanctuary of their home, it was agreed that they would both stay there for the indefinite future. James had build up vacation days and was planning on using some to be able to take care of things and Harry. They felt it was best not to return home until all the safety measures were in place. Even then it might be better to send someone else to the house to retrieve anything that was needed. At this point they didn’t want Lily to be able to have any contact with either of them. Lucius took Lily's divorce papers and left to take care of the urgent matters and told everyone that as soon as he had everything in place, he would return and fill them all in.

Filius arrived shortly after that and the men set about warding the house and making it so no one could find it. Filius told James that if he needed anything that all he needed to do was ask and he would be there. Finally feeling that things were falling into place and that what needed to be done right now was being taken care of, James went up to find Harry and see how he was doing. When James opened the door to Draco and Harry’s room the sight that met his eyes was amazing. The kids had arranged the blankets and pillow into a wolf’s den and they were inside curled in a tight ball with Draco and Hermione wrapped securely around Harry and all of them were asleep. What took James’ breathe away was that he was able to see the individual bands of the bond that connected the three children going out from each of them, circling around the others binding them tightly together. Jean gently touched James arm and as she look in on the children, she told him that when there is a traumatic event that happens to one of them, the bond will fortify and strengthen to secure the one that is in pain and hurting. It nurtures all of them, giving each one an overwhelming sense of peace that snuffs out the pain and gives extra strength to the one that needs it. Cissy join them and added that the first time she had seen it was after she had miscarried and Draco was struggling with the loss of the sibling he would never get to know. The bands were different colors; Hermione’s was an aqua-ocean blue, Draco’s was an emerald green and Harry’s was a harvest golden yellow. The three bands flowed in air, intertwining and bending – moving in a rhythm all their own, almost as if the bond was breathing. As the three adults stood watching the three children sleep, James felt the peace of their bond overflowing and enveloping him in a contented hug. He sighed allowing it to overtake him and comfort him in his darkest hour.

Hours later as the adults sat at the dining room table talking about the events of the day and what James wanted to do. The kids were in Draco and Harry’s room sleeping in their fort. Severus and Remus had told Hermione that they would come in and get her when they went to bed. Filius had returned to school and had informed Minerva and Albus what was happening and they had both sent messages letting them know that they would available to help in any way to just let them know. Albus had also told Severus and Remus to stay and help get the two Potter boys settled and they would cover for them tonight.

Around 9:30 Lucius arrived back with papers in hand, he had been able to get immediate approval listing James as sole guardian of Harry with Severus and Remus serving as secondary guardians. He had cleverly added a clause that if all three were indisposed that the Grangers would assume custody of Harry until the others were able. Lucius had told James that he had given the divorce papers to his two top lawyers and that they would let them know as soon as possible what their counterattack would be. With the papers James had signed giving Lucius permission to have access to any information needed to help his cause and to make sure that necessary actions were in place to prevent Lily from gaining access to their accounts, Lucius had been able to initiated a freeze on all the Potter’s assets until proper distribution could be made. This would prohibit Lily from going into Gringotts and clearing out the vault. He had made an inquiry at Gringotts while he was filing the papers to see if Lily had been there to clean things out. A prompt check was made and Lucius had been assured that Lily had not been in and that everything in the Potter vault was accounted for. Lucius thanked the goblins and being assured that all employees would be briefed on the situation first thing in the morning, Lucius left to attend to the other matters that needed to be dealt with.  It was decided that for now the Potter home was to be put under a concealment charm until things could be sorted out. Lily would be unable to enter the home and remove anything that was inside. James noted that more than likely she had removed everything she wanted before she broke the news to him, but he was incredibly grateful for the effort that Lucius had gone to, to ensure that what he had was protected from her. Lucius patted James on the back and had comforted him by saying that if he had any control over what would transpire that he would make sure that he and Harry were taken care of and that she would pay dearly for her severe lack of judgment. The concealment charm was to be activated tomorrow at 11 and all the men agreed to accompany James to his home and help him prepare it and also to take an inventory of what was missing. James had wanted to pick up a few more things that might be needed while they were away. Severus had sent Buttons to Albus asking if he and Filius would be able to join them at the Grangers at 9 tomorrow, explaining what was going to happen and asking if they could be excused from their morning classes. Albus had replied that he and Filius would arrive at the Grangers at 9 and they would be honored to help James. Albus had also excused the boys from all classes tomorrow as there was no way of knowing what issues they might run into and they might all be needed longer than they thought. Minerva, Irma and Poppy had said they would mind the castle and wished them all luck knowing they just might need it.

With that settled, they all relaxed and listened to the latest wedding news as the Granger’s next to youngest daughter, Kathleen was set to seal the bond with her soul mates and marry at the end of June. It was going to be a very big to do and it would also be the first time that Severus and Remus participated in a wedding. They would be Hermione’s official escorts for the entire celebration. The boys were nervous, but Robin and Roland reassured them that this would be a piece of cake compared to what they would endure just a mere ten years down the road. The look on both Severus and Remus’ faces was priceless and everyone had a good laugh at and with them.

They also discussed Draco’s upcoming birthday party and the new Quidditch pitch that the Grangers were going to build that summer for their three youngest Quidditch stars. It was going to be a combined birthday present for all three of them. Quidditch had become a lovely afternoon pastime at the Grangers over the last year and many of their other children had jumped right on board the Quidditch express. As there were so many of them it wasn’t hard to make up teams. Hermione, Draco and Harry had become very talented at their positions of Seeker and Chasers and with James as the other Chaser, Severus and Remus as the Beaters and Robin or Roland alternating at Keeper, they had become the team to beat. Jean and Brenda were in the process of designing uniforms for everyone so they would look official. It was agreed by all that this summer was going to be the best yet.

As everyone made their way to bed, Severus and Remus stopped in to grab their little munchkin. They couldn’t get over how beautiful she was and how big she was getting. She was quite the handful now, but they loved everything about her. She was growing into such a tomboy who wasn’t afraid to try anything much to their amusement. Long gone was the delicate little flower and in her place had grown this stunning, precious, ‘give ‘em hell with the big boys’ young girl that wasn’t afraid of anything except maybe earning the disapproval of her ‘boys’. She was going to give them a run for their money of that they were sure. Looking at each other they both grinned knowing they wouldn’t want her any other way. She would definitely keep them on their toes and she would also keep Draco and Harry on theirs.

As the three slept, Jean looked in on them and just as she had figured the bands of their soul bond shone brightly. Severus’ dark blue – almost black, bended and blended in with Remus’ bold red and both of theirs were merging and intertwining with Hermione’s aqua-ocean blue. As the waves of the bond brushed gently around them, Jean sighed contently knowing that there really wasn’t anything quite as beautiful as watching the bands of the bond strengthen and grow stronger.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a huge Titanic geek, I love the history of the ship and well pretty much everything that has to do with it. I have over 20 books on it. Yes...I was one of those people that were glued to the TV when the discovery was made back in 1985 as well as everything that has come out after including the movie. As this is the anniversary week of the sinking of Titanic ~ I decided to add a special little bit to remember her by. I can totally see all three of them being completely engrossed in finding out all they can about Titanic ~ just as I am :)


	18. Summer Fun in Sun - 1988

_**Days before the wedding ~ June 1988** _

 

Severus and Remus finished up teaching for the year just 3 days before the big Granger wedding. It was pretty chaotic by the time they arrived at the Grangers. The closer it came to the wedding day the more withdrawn Hermione had become. Harry and Draco had been concerned because she was never quiet and had not ever refused to do something that the boys wanted to do. Jean had explain to the two young boys that it wasn't uncommon for the next child to marry, which would be Hermione, to feel the pressure of their own bond when their sibling prepared to seal their bond and marry. Jean had been hoping that it would skip Hermione with her being ten years younger, but it appeared that it would not. She asked Draco and Harry to keep an eye on her and to just be there for her until Severus and Remus arrived from Hogwarts. Even though Draco had just turned eight and Harry would be eight the end of July, they both understood what was needed of them and gladly consented to their secret mission, Project watch over Hermione, both boys had giggled and run off to find their best friend and support her in her hour of need. Hermione was grateful for their presence and often the three would just sit on the beach and watch the waves come in.

The water held a peaceful presence for Hermione and it would center her and all the riotous feelings that were flowing through her. She consciously knew that it was her bond with Severus and Remus that was causing her to feel off and confused. She was missing them terribly and it only added to the overactive feelings rushing through her body. The sooner they arrived the better she would feel. As she sat by the water enjoying the waves gently rolling in and back out, she wondered if they felt the pull of their bond. Did they know she was in pain? Even being almost nine, she understood. She remembered a few years ago when Kathleen was going through the same thing when Kaleigh and Kevin were getting married. Kathleen had been the opposite and had become very vocal and was in major meltdown mode for three weeks before the wedding. Kath had survived it and Hermione knew that she would, too. It was different for her though as Kath had her soul mates with her to balance the feelings and emotions. Hermione’s soul mates were still teaching and it seemed at least to her that they were a million miles away. She knew they were due to arrive at any moment, but it still didn’t stop the tears from rolling down her face as another wave of pain soared through her body. She started to sob so hard that it worried both Draco and Harry as they held her tight.

Just then Draco noticed Severus and Remus hurrying down the walk with their black robes flying in the breeze to reach where they were. Draco nodded to Harry who also had spotted them. As they reached Hermione both little boys backed away and in a swish Remus and Severus both had her in their arms, comforting her and just letting her sob as she dealt with her extreme emotions.

“There, there little one…we have you now.  We’re here and we aren’t leaving for a long time.” Severus reassured her.

“We’ve missed you…little one. So very much. Our hearts have ached to be with you and we couldn’t get here fast enough.” Remus replied

As Hermione tried and failed to get her emotions under control, she just held on to the both of them and let go of everything she had been holding inside. Once she had cried herself out and the sniffling had died down, she looked at both Severus and Remus and smiled.

“Thank you for being here for me. I’ve missed you so much and it hurts really, really bad. Did you feel it? My pain? Does it affect you like it does me?” Hermione asked.

Remus put his nose in her hair and just breathe in her scent before replying, “We felt a pull on our bonds, we weren’t sure what was happening so we sent a letter to your dads and we received a letter from your mum explaining what was happening with you. So, yes we felt it, but didn’t realize just how much you were hurting little one. We are so sorry that we couldn’t be with you and help you until now.”

“We will never leave you sweetie. We felt a heaviness and now seeing you like this we understand why. It was you being in pain. I’m sure Remus agrees with me in saying that we hope you never have to hurt like that again. It was broke our hearts to see you like that." Severus said as he hugged her tighter.

The three sat on the beach in silence just holding each other for a long time. Jean, Robin and Roland watched them from the patio knowing that Severus and Remus’ presence would bring Hermione back into the harmony she would need until Kathleen completed her bond. Jean was relieved that they were here as she knew the pain that Hermione was feeling and Jean knew it would be difficult as Hermione would have 9 years to wait to complete her bond. Jean had only had to wait two years after her sister had wed before she married Robin and Roland. This would be another learning experience for them to learn from. It would make their bond even stronger after Saturday. One thing was certain by the time Hermione married, the bond that she shared with her mates would be incredibly strong and steadfast. With the relief that came in knowing that Hermione was in good hands, she hugged Robin and Roland tight as she returned to the kitchen to help finish preparations for dinner.

After dinner Hermione was feeling much better and so it was decided to have a little Quidditch practice and give everyone a much needed break from wedding preparations. Everyone had been in major wedding planning mode for months and things were pretty much done. Jean wanted to get Severus and Remus into their outfits so the final fittings were complete and then the finishing touches could be added to the boys’ garments. Hermione’s gown was almost finished as Brenda was putting the final embellishments on her train. Her gown was a light aqua blue. The train of her gown was beautiful as it had Severus’ initials of ‘STS’ and Remus’ ‘RJL’ in the middle of the train. The outer border of the train had alternating snakes and lions representing the boys’ Hogwarts houses. To the side of each boys’ initials was a silhouette of each boys’ wolf form that was woven into the initials. It was breathtaking and a smaller representation of what her wedding gown would resemble in ten years.

The boys’ robes were tailor made and black. They would wear black pants with light aqua dress shirts that matched the color of Hermione’s gown. Hermione’s initials were on each boys’ left hand side of their shirt over their hearts. Remus had snickered at Severus when he had seen him in the shirt, stating that never in his life had he expected to see Severus in anything but black. Severus gave him a sneer that would curl butter and said that if it was for Hermione he would suffer and wear pink if he had, too. Oh…the things they would do for love. Luckily for both boys, Hermione was not a pink kind of girl. She had turned up her nose and let out a sneer that made Severus proud. She had already perfected the eyebrow quirk to perfection and Remus would burst out laughing every time she did it, which would cause Remus to bare the brunt of her snarky comebacks. She had steady begun to express herself with both boys’ quirks and Jean had laughed more than once when something she did mirrored what one of her boys’ would do. Severus and Remus were rubbing off on her and they were proud of it.

So with their brooms, the crew headed out to the Quidditch pitch that was still in the process of being build. The rings had been installed last week and work had begun on the bleachers. The kids had spent days out there watching the work being done. They were excited to try it out. For the next hour they swished and swooped, swerved and swayed as they practiced their moves. Harry was getting ready good at chasing and catching the snitch. All the while Hermione and Draco took turns weaving in and out and scoring against a very put out James who was playing Keeper. Even with Hermione being the smallest, she was spot on deadly with her aim and sent the quaffle sailing through the hoop before James could even react. Hermione and Draco would tag team and then go in for the kill. They would be force to reckon with down the road if they chose to play Quidditch at Hogwarts. Lucius was already predicting that they would not only end up in the same house but they would also end up on the 'Slytherin' Quidditch team in their first year. James just continued to shake his head thinking that there was no way Harry would end up in Slytherin but he would let Lucius dream for now. Remus and Severus were taking turns making John and Scott pay with the bludgers. Laughter rang through the air as even Robin and Roland got in some good shots. When the kids grew tired, everyone gathered together and headed back to the house having much less tension in their bodies and the freedom that came from just enjoying life to the fullest.

_**Kathleen’s Wedding ~ June 25, 1988** _

The wedding day dawned with bright sunshine and warmth flowing off the waters. The bonding ceremony would take place on the beach with the marriage vows following right after. The reception would follow that down the beach a little ways from the ceremony. Everything was in place and ready. Guests and family were arriving and everyone was getting ready. Irma had arrived the night before and she was put in charge of helping Hermione into her gown and making sure she was ready. Remus and Severus were busy getting themselves ready and were admitting, if just to each other that they were very nervous. They had watched with Hermione when Kaleigh and Kevin had married but they had not been an active part in their weddings. Hermione had been a flower girl but once she arrived at the front, she had been placed between Severus and Remus for the rest of the ceremony and reception. This was going to be totally different as they would be Hermione's escorts and would play an important part. It was quite unnerving, but they figured that seeing as they had helped defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort, they could handle and survive this. They were also realizing that this would be them in a little over 9 years and that had them thinking on what it would be like when they were the ones waiting at the front of the alter for Hermione to make her way down the aisle to them.

As the time of the bonding and ceremony approached, Severus and Remus were waiting in the living room for Hermione and Irma to come down. The rest of the family that were in the wedding procession were milling about. Robin and Roland were giving the boys their fatherly pep talk and telling them to relax. They were making this harder on their nerves then it needed to be. Remus and Severus had both sighed and shook their heads continuing the small talk with Robin and Roland while they waited. Robin had assured them with a kind smirk, that this was the easy part, that the rampaging herd of Moonrats that were gallivanting around in the bellies would be even worse when it was their turn to marry. They laughed together agreeing that it would be true. They relaxed knowing that everything would be fine and waited on Hermione's arrival.

In a few minutes, Hermione appeared at the top of the stairs and she took Severus and Remus' breath away. Irma had curled her hair so it rained down her back in a spiral of tiny curls. The dress was even more beautiful on her and as she glided down the stairs the train flowed behind her. The boys had seen the detail that had gone into the train but it had now been charmed to sparkle and shimmer as she moved. She was absolutely beautiful. Severus and Remus met her at the bottom of the stairs and each boy gave her a kiss on the cheek and told her how beautiful she was. She gave them each a big smile and a kiss on their cheeks and told them that they looked really pretty. They could tell she was nervous, but the tension eased as she met her boys. They held out their hands and she took them and they moved into the living room to wait until it was time to move into position. They would be the last ones to enter before the bride. They all chatted with Irma while they waited and Hermione let the peace that the boys brought to her, settle in as they waited for the ceremony to begin. Michael came in about ten minutes later to take Irma to her seat as it was time to begin.

With only the remaining members in the wedding party still in the living room, Kathleen arrived in all her splendid glory. She was breathtaking in her princess gown of white. Her train was over ten feet long with beads, laces, shimming sequins that looked like diamonds. Her veil covered her face and her face would remain covered until after the bonding took place. Severus and Remus both looked on at the scene before then and both immediately thought to the day in the future when it would be their Hermione waiting there in all her glory to make her walk down the aisle on the arms of her fathers to be joined completely with them. As if she had read their thoughts, she gently whispered to both boys, "That will be us next" and then she gave them a smile that melted their hearts. They each squeezed her hands and told her that they could not wait for that day to come and she had agreed.

They were all lined up after that with several of Hermione's sisters in front of her, Kath's two best friends next and Hermione and her boys after with Kathleen and her fathers behind them. Severus was on Hermione's right with her hand wrapped around his arm, Remus was on the left with his hand wrapped around her arm as her bouquet of flowers were placed in her left hand. The music began and so did their march down the aisle.

They arrived at the front and were moved to the right to stand closest to where Kathleen's soul mates, Jonah and Jacob Matthews stood. Severus and Remus both watched the boys with anticipation to see their reactions when Kathleen appeared. They weren't disappointed as both boys let out a deep sigh as they released the breath that they had been holding. As Kath made her way down the aisle, Severus looked down at Hermione who looked up at him and smiled. He squeezed her arm and smiled back knowing that she was thinking about what it would be like when it was her. Remus squeezed her arm on the other side and she looked up at him with the same love in her eyes that she had given Severus just a brief moment ago.

When Kath was at the altar, her fathers placed her hands in the hands of Jacob on her right and Jonah on her left. The officiating wizard, told each to place their left hands together, they each turned to the right and Kathleen placed her left hand on top of Jacob's and Jonah then placed his on top of Kathleen's. As he read the bonding words to the couple, the bands of their bond merged from their souls and wrapped themselves around each other making a tight woven wave that would be unbreakable. The boys, one at a time, first acknowledged their bond with Kath and then accepted the bond. Then they pledged to love, honor, protect and to be completely faithful to her with everything that they were even unto death and for all eternity. After the boys were done, Kathleen did the same, acknowledging and accepting the mates that her soul 'sparks' had chosen for her. She also promised to love, honor, protect and be completely faithful to them for all eternity. The wizard then made a motion which looked to be in the shape of a celtic knot and the three separate bands of each soul became one, with the three colors blending perfectly together. When that was done, the wizard doing the ceremony approached Hermione, Severus, and Remus. He reached out his hands and took Hermione's in his and smiled down on her. He then proceeded to speak a blessing over Hermione and her boys, he then asked Severus if he acknowledged the bond that he shared with Hermione, to which Severus answer, 'Yes'. He then asked Remus the same question to which Remus answer, 'Yes'. Then stepping back he blessed the acknowledgement of the bonds between Hermione, Severus and Remus and for a moment the bands of their bonds appeared and wrapped around each other tightly, strengthening their bond with a renewed power and presence of peace.

Once that part of the ceremony was over, the marriage vow part of the ceremony took place with each saying their own personal vows to each other. It was over quickly and then the procession went back up the aisle and out onto the beach where the receiving line would take place and then it was off to the reception after pictures were taken.

The reception went on into the night. Everyone was having a wonderful time. When it was time for the first dance the happy couple made their way to the dance floor. The three flowed in perfect harmony and the smiles on their faces said it all. Relief, happiness, contentment and many others emotions flowed through the couple, they were finally complete and it showed. As the other couples made their way to the dance floor, Severus and Remus had agreed that they were going to have to take lessons with Robin and Roland on how to dance with the three of them. They made it look so easy. Hermione took each of their hands and pulled them out onto the dance floor, she then placed her right hand over Severus' heart and with her left had Severus place his on her left hip, she then reached back to take Remus' left hand and placed it just above Severus', she then took her right hand and held it up so that Severus threaded his fingers through hers and she then nudged Remus to do the same. Once she had them in position, she gently leaned into Severus and they began their waltz around the room, the three flowed together like they had been doing it forever. They indulged in many more dances throughout the night and had a wonderful time. Maybe they wouldn't need lessons from Robin and Roland.

As the evening was drawing to a close, Hermione took Severus and Remus with her to her favorite spot to look out over the water. The moon was almost full as it shimmered down on the three as they made their way. Once they reached her spot, Remus transfigured a rock into a blanket and they sat down and looked out at the ocean as the waves quietly made their way to shore. They all just sat there for a while watching, quietly contemplating what they had gone through today and what it would mean in the coming days and years to come. Severus was thinking about how amazing the bonding ceremony had been, the way the bands merged with each other and become one. In a short time, as short as nine years could be, that would be the three of them standing there as their souls became one. It had been breathtaking to watch and all he could think was that it is even more so when your soul was the one being bonded to the others.  Remus was thinking about the blessing that the wizard had proclaimed over them and how much stronger his feelings for Hermione had become after that. She was almost 9 and they were both now 28. In the back of his mind he was thinking that it should feel wrong to have such strong feelings for one so young, but then the other part of him was reminding him that she was his and Severus' and it was perfectly normal for feelings to grow for the one that was destine to be your wife. He would talk to Roland about how he was feeling tomorrow.

Both boys were brought out of their thoughts when Hermione had turned to face both of them and had told them that she wanted a real kiss. Hermione was never one to hide her true feelings and had no problem at all telling her boys exactly what she wanted. After all she had - had them both wrapped around her little fingers since she was four. Severus and Remus both looked at each other with just a bit of trepidation, wondering if this was even allowed. They both understood where she was coming from as they both had been fighting the same thought since their part in the bonding ceremony. As both boys sat there contemplating what they were going to do and seeing if they could put her off until they had a chance to talk to Robin and Roland about it, Hermione decided that she would take matters into her own hands and so she did. She leaned over and before Severus could move, she kissed him - right on the lips. While he was trying to get his head around what was happening she broke the kiss, smiled and then went over and did the same to Remus. She left both boys speechless and it took her giggling to snap them both out of what she had just done. She just smiled at them and let out a contented sigh and went back to watching the waves roll in.

The next morning when Severus and Remus nervously told Jean, Robin and Roland what had happen the night before, the three had all busted out laughing. Robin and Roland had laughed so hard they had tears in their eyes. They then explained that it was normal although they were just a little surprised that Hermione had taken the initiative and kissed them both. Jean had smirked saying that she wasn't even 9 yet and she was a handful. The boys relaxed and asked Robin and Roland how to handle her and if it was even appropriate for her age to want to kiss them on the lips. A quick call to John and Scott was all it took to relieve the anxiety the boys were feeling. They explained that they had been taken quite by surprised when Susan at the age of barely 8 had kissed both of them one night. It had taken Martha, Donald and Dennis multiple conversations to finally get them to see that there was nothing wrong with Susan for wanting to show them her affection. Severus and Remus relaxed after that and went on to make sure that it would be alright with them that if Hermione wanted a kiss on the lips that it was okay. Robin smiled and informed both of them that if Hermione wanted a kiss on the lips, that nothing was going to stop her from attaining her goal. He said that they would talk to her and explain that for right now, kisses on the lips should be kept to special occasions and hopefully that would quell her urgings for a while.  He wasn't sure that would work seeing as Hermione was incredibly head strong, but hopefully she would understand. They also didn't see any harm in indulging her with kiss at night once in a while before she went to sleep. Her love for them was also growing now that the bond had been officially acknowledged and was stronger and it wasn't uncommon for the need for more to be there. They assured the boys that they would continue to figure out things together and deal with whatever happened when it happened. Robin and Roland confessed that they had just turned nine the first time they kissed Jean on the lips.

 

_**July - August 1988** _

 

July came and Severus, Remus, Minerva and Filius resumed teaching the Granger family their magic classes. Hermione, Draco and Harry continued to grow strong in their magic surprising the four teachers with just how much they could remember and actively do. Each one was growing increasingly more poised and precise in their actions and it showed when they put the practical application with the book knowledge they had gained. As the summer went their friendship continued to grow stronger as well.

James and Harry were still living with the Grangers and Draco was there most of the time as well. Cissy had surprised them right before Harry's birthday when she and Lucius announced that she was expecting and that the healers had assured them that everything was proceeding normally and there didn't seem to be any of the issues she had experienced when she lost the last baby. Things were a go for baby Malfoy #2. Draco was overjoyed and very excited for his new sibling, Hermione and Harry were excited as well as they would all get to be able to watch Cissy and her growing belly. Kathleen was expecting twins at the same time so there would be lots of babies coming soon.

They had all gone on their vacation to see the Titanic museums and miscellaneous other adventures and were excited to be able to share their adventures with each other. Severus and Remus were enjoying another summer with the Grangers and life was good for everyone. The Quidditch pitch was finished by mid July and many countless hours had been enjoyed into the early evenings of summer. Lucius had even started playing substituting for Robin and Roland at Keeper when they couldn't be there. Cissy and Jean would sit in the stands with Irma cheering on their boys and girl. Hermione loved Quidditch and could often be found out at the pitch by herself going through the moves to perfect her technique. Severus and Remus just laughed and had to agree that they had created a little monster on a broom.

The rest of the summer was uneventful and as the days grew shorter and the winds of fall began to brew, Severus and Remus reluctantly prepared to return to Hogwarts to teach. Only three more years and Hermione would be there with them. Albus had visited several times over the summer as he continued to make progress into putting in the safety measures that would need to be in place before Hermione arrived. The meeting that they had with John and Scott had been educational and entertaining, but it had provide the necessary information that Albus had been looking for. He was now totally confident that everything would be ready for Hermione, Remus and Severus. He would be preparing the beginning dissertations for next spring or sooner if everything fell into place. That was one more thing to cross off the list and both boys were relieved that things were falling into place.

The night before they were to leave for Hogwarts, Hermione cuddled up between both boys and told them that this was a special occasion and she would very much like a special kiss to hold her over until they both returned. She had been receptive when her dads had explained that the lip kisses needed to be saved for special occasions and should be shared in private for now. She had agreed with her dads and had been really good about it. She enjoyed saving the lip kisses for special times. Severus and Remus looked into her eyes feeling so much love for her, they felt it reach into their hearts and souls. Then one at a time, each one gently took her face in their hands and gave her a sweet little kiss on her lips. When they were done, Hermione let out a contented sigh and curled up tight to her boys and went to sleep knowing just how much she was loved.   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time is jumping to the Summer of 1991. Hermione, Draco and Harry are getting ready to board the Hogwarts Express :)


	19. Animagus Training ~ Lions and Tigers and Bears - Oh My!

**_Summer of 1991:_ **

Minerva had started the physical aspect of everyone's animagus training in the first week of March 1991 with each of them having to keep a mandrake leaf stuck to the roof of their mouth for a month or until they got their first inklings of what their form was going to be. It had only taken one of them swallowing it...we won't mention any names…Harry - for them to realize that they didn't want to do that and all nine of them had asked Minerva to place a very strong sticking charm to the leaf. By the first week in May, everyone had a picture of what he or she was going to be. They then spent most of May researching their animagus forms as each of them was going to be a truly unique animal and it would be helpful to know as much as they could about their new form.

May passed quickly into June and soon it was the end of June and Severus, Remus and the others were finally done teaching. James and Lucius had each built a house on either side of the Grangers. As the Grangers owned a large amount of land, they generously sold each family a portion to build their homes. Robin and Roland had many connections and had used their influence to hurry along the construction of both homes so they were ready before summer arrived. Harry, Draco and Hermione spent many hours watching the two homes come together and they were even allowed to help with the finishing touches.

Lucius had wanted what he dubbed a summer home away from Malfoy Manor so that his family could relax and grow without the stuffiness that the Manor possessed. When the final touches were being instrumented on the house, Lucius confessed the Cissy was again expecting and that he wanted his younger children to grow up around the positive influences that Draco had been a part of since he was three. Cissy had delivered a beautiful baby girl, Cassiopeia Leia, Cassie for short, two years ago. After years of believing that they would not be able to have any other children besides Draco, Lucius had joked that it must be living by the ocean seeing as they were now being blessed once more with another child. Jean had laughed and hugged him while telling him that he didn't need any excuses to want to be close to them. They were all one big happy growing family. The newest baby Malfoy was due to grace the world shortly after the new year. The Malfoys had made Robin, Roland, Jean and Irma godparents of little Cassie. They had all been greatly humbled by Lucius and Cissy's kindness to include them in this very special birth. Draco, Harry and Hermione had loved Cassie from the moment she graced this world. Hermione already use to being the youngest of eight children was overly excited to have someone that she would be the 'big' sister to. Harry, also was soaking up being a 'big' brother as he had never had that opportunity with Jamie. Lily had never allowed Harry to be anywhere near her and so Harry had missed out on the bonding time with Jamie. He, however was the best big brother he could be to Cassie and she loved him just as much as she loved Draco and Hermione. To her there was no difference between Draco, Harry and Hermione, they were all her siblings.

It had not been easy for James the last few years, but he was the first to admit that it would have been much worse for him and for Harry if they would have had to travel this road alone. Lily, true to her pitiful self was an absolute nightmare waiting to happen over and over. She had been absolutely furious when she had gone into Gringott's to withdrawal money from their vault only to find it closed and frozen so that she could not gain access. World War III had then commenced and it had been an uphill battle from that moment on. As the old saying goes, "You reap what you sow" and in the end, Lily had gotten actually what she deserved, nothing. With Lucius' top lawyers on the case, and plenty of evidence brought against her along with multiple witnesses, she lost everything in record fashion. The court ruled for James on every count brought against him by her. James had offered Lily a very reasonable settlement which she refused and had informed him that she was going to take him for everything he had. In the end, Lily resented her rash decision but by then it was too late. Being advised by his counsel, he went in for the kill. Lily in her arrogance opened herself up to be shown as the vindictive, unfaithful, greedy, uncaring bitch that she was. It had come out in court that she was supporting this Derek Winters with James' money. She had basically stolen money that James had received from his parents to buy Derek a house in which they were now living and where she had stayed with Jamie when James was away from home. It was also discovered after the paternity testing was done that not only was Jamie not James child, but she wasn't Derek's either. It was reveled that Lily had a fling with some unknown guy when she had gone on vacation with her family. She had found out shortly after her return that she was pregnant. She knew James would be furious as they had discussed not having another child for awhile before she had left on vacation and so she had just played the ruse that it had accidently happened. Needless to say that seeing as she had been sneaking off to see Derek around the same time, Derek was utterly furious to find out that the child he thought was his, wasn't his at all but some cabana boy's child.  A very heated argument arose that result in Derek walking out of the court room and out of Lily's life for good. Karma's a bitch and Lily found out the hard way that when you play with fire ~ you get burned!  James was awarded complete and total custody of Harry and he retained possession of all monies, property and all possessions in the home at Godric Hallow. Lily was ordered to repay James for the monies she had taken to purchase the house she was now living in by herself and she would have one year to do it. James and Harry were now free from Lily and could begin to live their lives again without Lily overshadowing everything.

They had continued to live with the Grangers the last three years as they offered the protection, love and comfort that they both needed. It was during this time that James met Maria - John and Scott's little sister. James was instantly smitten with Maria and their friendship had grown over the last few years. When they both realized that their feelings were growing into more than just friendship, James had asked her to be patient telling her that he didn't want to bring her into the mess that was his divorce proceedings. Maria had the heart of an angel and had lovingly told James that if she had to wait until all the stars fell from the sky, that she would wait for him. In the meantime, she became his pillar of strength behind the scenes. Maria absolutely adored Harry and doted on him every chance she got. Harry in returned fell in love with Maria, she was everything that Lily was not. She showered him with her love and often the two of them would walk the beach and talk about all kinds of things. She was intent on learning all she could about Harry and had confessed to Jean how much it had hurt her heart to learn that Harry's mother had not loved him and had rejected him. It had made her more determined to be a strong part of Harry's life so that he would never again be unloved. She knew that James loved him dearly, but she also knew that a boy needed the love of a mother. She was so glad that Jean had been there for Harry and that he had grown up showered in her love. She spoke often with James letting him know that she cared deeply for Harry and asked his permission to get to know him better. James had been overwhelmed with the passion that she had for Harry and he could not deny her that. She was often in the stands watching the Quidditch games they played and was now a regular visitor to the Granger residence as John and Scott were often there advising Severus and Remus on what to expect as Hermione reached puberty and her emotions again began to change and her desire for her mates continue to grow and strengthen. It was the perfect cover so that James could get to know her better, too. James was already preparing to make it official as soon as his divorce was final and Lily was no longer a bug in his britches. So for the last three years, James and Maria kept their relationship secret and allowed it to grow at a normal pace.

As James prepared the plans for the house that he was building on the right side of the Grangers, he made sure that Maria had a say in everything. They had decided to have five bedrooms with the option of being able to have more if needed. They were already planning to give Harry multiple brothers and sisters. The house was close to completion and the three of them were making plans to move in sometime in July. The Malfoy's had offered them some of the extra furnishings that they had, some of them never being used from the manor. Maria graciously accepted them and Cissy, Jean and Maria made plans to get everything moved in. With Jean coming from such a large family there would be no shortage of help come moving day. The divorce had been completely finalized by the end of June and a week later as everyone gathered to celebrate the end of another school year at Hogwarts and James finally being free of Lily, James proposed to Maria, who joyfully accepted and a wedding for mid-August was being planned as they both didn't want to wait any longer. Jean couldn't be happier for James as she knew that Maria would turn his world upside down. Coming from a marriage that had been nothing but heart ache, Maria would shower him in so much love that she had no doubt that James and Harry would never want for love again. Jean and Cissy were also sneakily taking bets on how long it would be before Maria was pregnant with Harry's little sister or brother. Finally after so many years, things were definitely looking up for the Potter family.

July rolled around and the two families moved into their new homes. Draco and Harry were ecstatic and overjoyed at their new homes and Hermione was right there by their sides enjoying their enthusiasm and excitement at having a home so close to hers. The friendship between the three continued to grow and strengthen so much so that there was some concern over what would happen if they were sorted into different houses. They would know soon enough as in less than two months, they would be boarding the train to Hogwarts. All three children were beyond excited and they were already making plans for their trip to Diagon Alley next month to pick up their school supplies. Jean, Robin and Roland couldn't believe that their baby was already 11 and going off to school. Severus and Remus had confessed that when they met her all those years ago when she was four, that it had seemed that it would take forever for her to grow up. Here she was two months away from Hogwarts and a little more than that from turning 12. In five short years, their soul marks would appear and then it would only be one more year until she was theirs. Over the last three years, their feelings for Hermione had indeed grown even stronger. They were more protective of her and she was never without an escort, whether it be them or Draco and Harry. Hermione had become even more determined to get what she wanted and so the lip kisses were more frequent and she had even begun to snuggle into them even more when they slept together. In the last year she had developed the habit of rolling onto one of them or both. On a regular basis is was not uncommon for Hermione to end up on top of either Severus or Remus. It was also common that she would end up laying on Severus' chest with her bottom half draped over Remus or vise-a-versa. It had been very uncomfortable for both boys when they realized that she was inconveniently placed over their morning erections and they were horrified that she would wake up and run screaming out of the room thinking that a giant monster was in their drawers and it was out to get her. It was quick thinking on Robin's part when he told them to place a disilluminate charm over their privates so that Hermione wouldn't notice that anything was amiss. Morning erection crisis averted, the boys breathe a sigh of relief as they didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea. Robin and Roland had laughed saying that they weren't the first ones to go through that and they wouldn't be the last ones.

All throughout June and July and then into August, everyone continued to practice their meditations in preparation to taking their animagus forms. Maria had gotten a late start but she had decided to join with everyone in becoming an animagus as she felt it was very important to support James and Harry in this. It hadn't taken her long to become aware of her form and now they were all out on the beach, listening to the waves roll in, letting the peace and tranquility of the moment take them over. Minerva had confided to Severus and Remus the other day that she didn't think it would be much longer and she was also betting that Hermione would make the switch first as she had known since she was a wee babe that she would be wolf just like her mates. She still had her stuffed wolves although she didn't carry them around with her anymore. Tonight however, she had brought the wolves with her. As she sat in the circle with her parents and everyone else, she held on to 'her' wolf. Minerva, Severus and Remus placed themselves around the circle, Severus staying the closest the Hermione. One by one, the three teachers silently shifted into their animagus forms and waited.

As they patiently waited, Severus notice that Hermione's wolf ears had popped out of her head, before another minute passed her tail appeared and then in a poof - there she was in all her wolf glory!  She was absolutely breathtaking as a wolf, just like they knew she would be. Severus gently approached her from the left while Remus approached from the right and Minerva came bouncing up in the middle and gave her a head bonk and proceeded to rub herself all over Hermione. Hermione was startled for a minute but then gently sniffed Minerva and then gave her a slurp with her tongue. As Severus and Remus were checking out their mate in her new form, multiple pops were heard and as the group turned to look at what was going on, they were met by the most amazing group of animagus animals they had ever seen. Everyone was a different animal and all of them were absolutely breathtaking.

Lucius strolled toward the group of wolves and one, tabby cat as a huge white Belgian tiger, absolutely magnificent in stature. Standing next to Lucius was a beautiful beige-off brown mountain lion which was Cissy. Her elegance shone through her animagus form. Next to Cissy was a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon that had been Draco. He was an overbearing powerful dragon in his own right. Just to show off he turned around and blew out of flume of fire that went 20 feet or better in the air.

After the Malfoy's came the Potters. James was a massive stag with a set of antlers that any hunter would be proud to hang on his wall. The antlers would do some mighty damage to someone messing around with any of his love ones. Moving close by was a beautiful golden lynx with light brown spots covering her back. Maria was absolutely stunning. Not to be outdone by Draco, next to Maria appeared a incredibility gargantuan brown and black Thunderbird whose wing span was enormous. Harry let out a screeched that rattled the windows of the Granger home.  Well, one thing was for sure - no one would be stupid enough to mess with Hermione when her protectors could shift into their animagus forms and tear them to bits. Draco and Harry decided that they wanted to test their wings and off they went into the night sky, dragon and thunderbird to see which one could fly the highest and fastest.

Once the boys were aloft in the air spreading their wings, the last group approached. Jean was a multicolored phoenix and she was absolutely beautiful. Her tail feathers were different shades of gold, brown and red. Her head tuff was a golden brown. She let off a squawk and took off after the boys to make sure they weren't getting into trouble. Robin was a gigantic black grizzly bear and everyone was sure that no one would mess with him. Roland was equally impressive as a monstrous Nundu. The brothers then proceed to pounce on each other. Maria was getting to know the wolves and tabby cat which were more her size. When James came over she leaped onto his back and then sprawl out in his antlers so she could get a better view of the wrestling bear and nundu. They were truly one big family and now they were one big happy animagus family. As everyone was introducing each other to their new forms the three flying animagus came in for a not so graceful landing, well Jean did just fine but let's just say that Draco and Harry, well they will need to practice their landings. The two boys made their way over to Hermione and with a swish Draco had her up and in his arms. Within seconds the two boys were airborne with their sienna-brown wolf flying out over the ocean. Jean was only seconds behind them to make sure that nothing happened to Hermione. After about 15 minutes the trio of birds and one high flying wolf made their landing with Hermione riding on the back of Harry the Thunderbird. She hopped off, went over to Harry and Draco gave them each a nuzzle and went off to find her mates, both of which were having major heart failure that Draco had taken her and then flown off where they wouldn't be unable to rescue her if there had been a problem. They both concurred that they would be having a talk with their godsons about stealing their mate for their fun antics. As Remus watched the clowning around of his friends and family in their animagus forms, he thought to himself that full moons were going to get a whole lot more fun now that he had more than Minerva and Severus to pal around with. The menagerie of creatures that they had become was nothing short of amazing. Each one was beautiful and majestic in their own ways. There were ordinary animals and then there were the not so ordinary ones, but each one was unique to the person that they were. It was a rare moment of absolute brilliance and Remus just basked in the knowledge that they had done it not only for their families, but for him. He would never be alone again on a full moon and for that he was truly grateful.   

**_James and Maria get married_ **

Two weeks after they had all made their shift into their animagus forms, James and Maria on a beautiful summer evening in front of the ocean exchanged their vows and became husband and wife. Harry stood up for his dad along with Remus and Severus. Susan along with Jean and Hermione stood beside Maria. She was absolutely lovely as she made her way out to James in her flowing white princess gown. They only had eyes for each other as Maria's father placed her hand in James. Harry was grinning from ear to ear as he knew that Maria would be his new mum and he would never spend another day wondering if he was loved. He knew that Maria loved him and more importantly, he knew that she loved his dad more than anything.

As the vows were said and the rings exchanged and the happiness of the couple rang out over the waves, Severus and Remus quietly looked over to where Hermione was standing watching as James and Maria became husband and wife. They were sure she was thinking the same thing, it would not be long now until it was their turn. As the boys were watching her, she turned toward them and mouthed, 'I love you' and then gave them that smile she gave only to them. They again thanked their lucky stars that they had been given such a gift, that rare gift of one, Hermione Jean Granger, their one and only.

As the wedding reception went on into the night, everyone laughed and joked, danced and sang (some very off key) but none were happier than little Harry who had a new mum and a very content and happy dad. Life was good, just so good for the Potter family. James and Maria were going off on a short honeymoon and then they would return just in time to go with the whole crew as they descended on Diagon Alley to get the kids school supplies and get the three musketeers ready to head to Hogwarts and begin their magical schooling.

As the moon shone over the waters, three wolves ran through the waves playfully chasing each other, followed closely in the air by a dragon, a thunderbird and a phoenix. Running by their sides were a tiger, a lion, a bear and a nundu. Following behind them were a stag carrying a lynx and a tabby cat in his antlers. Lions and tigers and bears and all the others...oh my...indeed!  

 

 


	20. Off to Diagon Alley ~ All Aboard the Hogwarts Express

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is finally time to send our trio to Hogwarts - Enjoy!

 

_**August 1991:** _

 

The rest of August slipped away and before they could count to ten it was time to prepare and get ready to go to Diagon Alley to get their school supplies and then it would be off to Hogwarts for learning and new adventures. Hermione, Draco and Harry had been bouncing off the walls for days and the only thing that gave Jean, Cissy and Maria any peace at all was that they had allowed the kids to play repeatedly in their animagus forms. The most fun all of them had was when it had been decided one night to let them attempt to play Quidditch in their forms. Needless to say if anyone could have seen them from the outside world they would have been totally flabbergasted and thought the end of the world was surely at hand. Draco and Harry being able to fly was a bonus for them, as it meant they didn't need a broom, but as you can probably imagine seeing three wolves, a giant bear and nundu, a huge tiger with a tiny tabby cat. Minerva had decided that she shouldn't miss out on the fun and Lucius had thought it best that she ride with him. The best was the stag with massive antlers and one small lynx in said antlers, all riding brooms or at least attempting to stay on said brooms. They had played and laughed with everyone having a wonderful time. Cissy and Cassie had watched along with several other of Jean's siblings and families.  It was already being talked about who was going to learn to be an animagus next summer. John, Scott and Susan were the first on the list. They watched Maria having the time of her life flying with James the stag. They had all agreed that it was simply amazing to see their little sister in her lynx form. Maria had allowed them to poke and prod her when she first shifted for them and she had dutifully given each of them a lynx bath with her raspy tongue. The three had decided right then and there that they wanted to experience their forms and were now talking to Minerva. Minerva had given them her 'cat got the mouse' grin and had brought them books to read before they started. Minerva was sure that they would not want to wait until next summer to begin so she was making plans to teach them over the next coming months. Minerva had chuckled to herself, knowing full well that by winter break, all three would be ready to begin. What the heck, the more the merrier and it was looking like Remus would in time have more animagus friends then he would have ever thought possible and that is a very good thing.

 

**_The meeting with the Hogwarts Board:_ **

 

With Hermione set to arrive within days to Hogwarts, Albus had finished all his preparations and presentations and had called the final meeting of the board to put his initial plans into motion. Albus believed that with the testimonies from the Grangers regarding the nature of the bond, John, Scott and Susan who would be sharing from their personal experience of being older mates, Bruce and Jake, who were Susan's protectors explaining what would be required of Draco and Harry as Hermione's protectors. They would all use the massive piles of information that had been gathered over the last 14 years along with the visual proof of Severus, Remus and Hermione's bond and also the bond shared between Draco, Harry and Hermione. They were as prepared as they could be and now it would be up to the board to decide how to handle the unique situation they found themselves in and they all hoped it would be enough to convince the board of what needed to be done. They did have one ace up their sleeve and that was that Lucius now sat on the board and he had already used his influence to turn several other members to our favor. Lucius was nothing but a smooth diplomat and it didn't hurt that he was super charismatic.

The debate and presentations went on for five hours with the board asking many questions and everyone being very in tuned to the situation and how best to protect Severus and Remus, but also Hermione, Draco and Harry. If the board hadn't been convinced before they saw the pictures of the two separate trios and their bond bands, they were astonished by the sheer beauty of the bonds as the bands wrapped around over and under and encircled the two different groups. There was no doubt left in any of their minds after witnessing the power of the bond and learning that it would only continue to grow between both sets as Hermione aged. Each felt privileged to have been included in something that was so personal. The group along with Albus retired into private chambers to deliberate and come to a conclusion of what must be done. The testimony of John and Scott had relieved their minds that anything inappropriate or unethical would occur until after Hermione reached the age of maturity at 17.  

After another hour and a half, the board members and Albus returned and the verdict was announced. Everyone held their breath and in the end all the worry was for nothing. The Board had unanimously voted that Severus and Remus would be able to teach Hermione with the exception that Minerva would grade her homework from Potions with Severus' supervision and Filius would grade her homework from DADA with Remus' supervision. All tests would be monitor by Minerva and Filius to ensure that favoritism was not being shown. It was agreed that any house points wanting to be given to Hermione, Draco or Harry would be given to Minerva, Filius and Albus to administer. It was deemed important that they wanted safeguards in place to protect each of them from being accused of showing any of the three children favoritism. It was now a known fact after this meeting that the children had been taught since the age of 4 by not only Severus and Remus, but also by Minerva, Filius, Albus, Lucius and James and some of the other teachers. The children were already years ahead of their classmates that would arrive with them on board the Hogwarts Express. This gave the Board an idea that perhaps they had missed a very important step in the education process and that they would use the three children as guinea pigs to make adjustments in the future. The Board were overly impressed with the magic the children could perform and the knowledge that each of them possessed. It would bode well on all fronts to study their progress in the years to come seeing for themselves the benefit of starting students magical education sooner than 11.

It was decided that regardless of what house each of the children were sorted into that their quarters would reside with Severus and Remus. It would be discovered just a short time after the meeting that the castle had already added the necessary rooms to Severus and Remus' quarters along with separate bathrooms, one for the Draco and Harry to share and another one for Hermione. The common room had also been enlarged as well as desks being added to the library, one for each of them. It was also discovered that Severus and Remus' individual rooms had been combined into one room and one very large bed, big enough to fit all six of them if needed, it was situated in the center of the room. Severus and Remus found that they each had a separate room off this one big room so that each could have some privacy if needed. The board had been very understanding when Robin and Roland had explained that Hermione had slept in the same bed as Severus and Remus since she was four and there would be no way of stopping her from finding her way to them especially now that they would be in the same building. It made her feel safe being with her boys and with Draco and Harry also being with her, that protective bubble that she had would remain intact.

The Board agreed that they would meet again after the end of each school year to reevaluate if any other changes needed to be made. As it was still five years before the soul marks came in it was decided that other considerations would be made closer to that time. They were in agreement that the sanctity of the bond would keep them all safe. Draco and Harry were already being groomed by not only the Grangers, but John and Scott with Bruce and Jake to be Hermione's protectors. It would appear that everything that needed to be thought of and taken care of had been. The Board commended Albus and the rest of them for being willing to be so open about the bond and its history. They appreciated that everyone was willing to put it out in the open and not try to hide it. Before they left, they all went around and thanked each person individually and were again assured that if the Board had any questions to please ask and the answers would be given. The Board were especially impressed with how intricate the bond was and were fascinated by the story of how the soul 'sparks' separate at birth to go out and find the two mates that are perfect for the child. If truth be told, more than one person on the Board had tears in their eyes when they were told how Severus and Remus had been chosen.

After the meeting concluded the group lead by Albus headed out to the Black Lake to hunt down the children that were out swimming and playing with the Giant Squid. As they came down the hill they could hear the screams and laughter of the children as the Squid threw them up in the air and twirled them around. Irma and Pomona Sprout were laughing right along with them as they watched the antics going on. Irma and Pomona were relieved to hear that everything had gone very well and that the children would be housed with Severus and Remus. Pomona had come on board three years ago and had been teaching the children all about Herbology and why certain plants were used in potions and what plants were important for healing and medicinal purposes. Often times, Irma would teach with Pomona and she would bring the children books so that they could read more on what they were learning. 

The kids soon came running up to the adults who then told them to dry off and they would go to the Quidditch Pitch for a quick game, if they hurried and got ready. They didn't have to be told twice and were ready in a flash and off they all went. After playing several games and having dinner in the great hall, they were all ready to head back to the Grangers and get ready for tomorrow, because tomorrow they were going to Diagon Alley and then it would be off to Platform 9 3/4 and on to Hogwarts. Hermione, Draco and Harry could not wait.

 

_**Off to Diagon Alley:** _

 

It was a beautiful end of summer day when our rather large group hit Diagon Alley. Lucius, Cissy with Cassie in a stroller and Draco landed together in the apparition point besides the Leaky Cauldron. James, Maria and Harry came next followed by Severus, Remus and Hermione who were followed closely by Robin, Roland, Jean and Irma. The group made their way inside the Leaky and proceeded to the entrance of Diagon Alley. Walking through and into the chaos that was happening all around them as they observed the other families getting their items for their children for the beginning of the new school term at Hogwarts. The pure magic of Diagon Alley never seemed to end for the kids as they just stared at the goings on in front of them. The parents had worked on the game plan the night before so that they didn't end up spending all day there, although they didn't mind, they just wanted the kids to enjoy their day. Many of the items that were needed had been pre-ordered at the end of July. Their robes were already hanging at home - ready to be packed in their trunks. They were still trying to decide if they were just going to floo the trunks to Severus and Remus' quarters or if they were going to experience the whole wild adventure and hall them with them on the train. They were honestly thinking of just letting Severus and Remus deal with them and they would just take their packs with them. They enjoyed having the option to do both.

The first stop on their list was to Flourish and Blotts for their books. Lucius had placed the order as soon as they had received their lists to make it faster for them. Lucius and Remus went to the counter to pick up the packages with the books in them while everyone else wonder around to look and see if there might be something else that they wanted and could not live without. Hermione and Severus were over by the potions books when they were interrupted by two giggling older girls.

"Professor Snape! We didn't know you would be in Diagon Alley today. What are you doing here?" one of the girls asked with her sickly sweet voice that sounded like nails on a chalk board.

Severus wasn't amused at all and was already plotting on how to take points from the two imbeciles. Both Remus and he had issues with these two particular girls as they had given them multiple detentions with Filch for imposing themselves on their persons and he wasn't impressed with them at all. No matter how many times they told them they weren't interested and that they would never be interested in them, the girls continued to push their luck. Severus put his hand on Hermione's shoulder and quickly dismissed the girls with his trademark sneer, they got the point and moved on before Hermione could hex them. Severus had laughed when he looked at Hermione and saw the sneer that match his on her pretty little face. He brought her face up to look at his and she smiled at him. He had quietly asked her what hex she was thinking of using on them and she gave him that cute little grin that told him she had been thinking exactly that and it would have been a good one. Hermione was not one to mix hexes if one chose to mess with one of her mates. It was going to be an interesting year at Hogwarts to be sure.

It was one of the reasons that Remus and Severus had talked to Robin and Roland about wearing wedding bands so that any unwanted attention and it was all unwanted, would hopefully be dissuaded and women or stupid immature girls alike would leave them alone. Robin had thought that it was a great idea as he knew that the boys were constantly having to defend themselves from others that couldn't take no for an answer. They had picked out their rings after James and Maria had married and left on their honeymoon and in a small little ceremony with only Hermione's parents, Irma, the Malfoys and Potters, once they returned, Severus and Remus once again pledged themselves to Hermione. Draco handed Hermione Severus' ring of silver and she gently pushed it on his finger. Harry handed her Remus' ring of gold and she placed it on his finger and then to her surprised Remus and Severus pulled out a box and opening it reveled a beautiful ring of gold and silver interwoven together and they both placed it on her finger together. Hermione had been overwhelmed with the thoughtfulness that they had shown her. As the tears welled up in her eyes she hugged them both telling them how very much she loved them and could not wait until they were the real bands that they would wear as husbands and wife.   

The group ended up getting a few more books and then headed out to Potage's Cauldron Shop to pick up their cauldrons that Severus had ordered a few weeks ago. He was also picking up a couple new cauldrons for himself that he had been wanting to get. Severus went in with Hermione to pick them up while the other's talked outside. They were done quickly and off they went to the next stop, Ollivanders. The kids already had their wands, but they always enjoyed stopping in to say 'Hi' to Mr. Ollivander and he in turn was always very happy to see them. They enjoyed showing him whatever new spell or charm they had learned and he in turn would tell them all about the latest wand he had crafted. Severus gave him a small pouch that contained several very rare wand ingredients, phoenix and thunderbird feathers among others. When you had several rare animagus forms, they did come in handy and when they had invited Mr. Ollivander to the Granger estate as they had now dubbed it, he was absolutely amazed at what he had seen. Jean had graciously allowed him a few feathers at the time as well as Harry offering several of his. Mr. Ollivander had been incredibly touched by the trust they had put in him, that he had vowed if any of them were ever in need of a wand that they would have one of excellent quality crafted for them and them alone.

After bidding good bye to Mr. Ollivander the crew headed off to Eeylops Owl Emporium to get each of the kids an animal. Upon arriving Harry was immediately taken by a snowy white owl named Hedwig. She was beautiful and Harry fell in love with her right way. Hermione and Draco laughed telling Harry that was the fastest they had ever seen him make a decision. Draco found a beautiful barn owl by the name of Blinky and he was smitten. It seemed Blinky was smitten as well as she climb on Draco shoulder and softly hooted in his ear. Hermione with Severus and Remus close behind walked through the store but did not find what she was looking for. After paying for the owls and getting multiple bags of treats to keep them happy, the group headed over to Magical Menagerie to see if there was someone there for Hermione. As soon as she saw the orange ball of fluff, she ran right over and knew that he was the one for her. Severus and Remus looked at each other and grinned while conveying that they would need to purchase multiple lint brushes to keep the fur off their clothes. Hermione smiled up at them and they proceeded to help her gather the supplies she would need for her kitty. Crookshanks had found his forever home with the Lupin-Snapes.

Now that they had all the important stops done the men took Hermione, Draco and Harry over to Quality Quidditch Supplies so they could look at all the Quidditch gear and the new brooms. Lucius had promised each of them that if they tried out for the Quidditch team at Hogwarts and made it that he would buy each of them a new broom. The three children had talked excitedly about what it would be like if each of them made the team and how exciting it would be if they were on the same team. Severus had told Lucius that the Slytherin team would be letting the first years try out as most of the team had graduated in the June and they were going to need almost a full team. The other three houses were also looking for recruits as they also had quite a few members graduate. Severus was already planning what he was going to do if the kids were sorted into Slytherin house. James had laughed and said that if it meant keeping the three kids together he was all for Harry going into Slytherin. Now the he didn't have to deal with Lily things were so much better for his family. Maria was a breath of sweet air and James thought he had never been happier than he was right now. Robin and Roland bought a few new things for the community pitch at their home and then they were off to meet the girls at Florean Fortescue Ice Cream Parlor and get some yummy ice cream. Hermione sat between Remus and Severus eating her Rocky Road and happily chattering to Draco and Harry about riding the Hogwarts Express tomorrow and having one more Quidditch game tonight before bed.

Everyone was having a wonderful time eating ice cream on a beautiful summer day, talking about how none of them could believe that they were one day away from Hermione leaving and going to Hogwarts. Robin and Roland reminisced on how it seemed like it had only been a short time ago that they had met for that first time and now Irma with Severus and Remus were as much a part of their family as their own children and with the addition of the boys, they now had the Malfoy and Potter families as well. Their big little family had grown even bigger and they were excited that more babies would follow in the coming years. They had been informed the other day that both Kaleigh and Kathleen were expecting again. Jean and Susan's youngest sister, Missy was expecting and Hermione's brother Kevin's wife, Eileen was expecting again. That along with Cissy and Lucius' announcement of another baby Malfoy, the Granger household was going to again be brimming with babies. Jean couldn't be happier and she was secretly hoping that James and Maria would be making an announcement soon even though they had only been married a few weeks. After all honeymoon babies were the best babies. They finished their ice cream and headed for home to help the kids get their trunks packed. The decision had been made and they were going to help Severus and Remus take their trunks over before dinner and spend an hour setting up their rooms. They would also take Crooks, Hedwig and Blinky over tonight as well as they thought the animals would enjoy 'not' having to ride the train. Hermione had giggled saying that if it wasn't for the fact that she, Draco and Harry wanted to ride the train they could be enjoying the afternoon with them instead. Severus had picked her up and Remus had come over and they both hugged her while telling her that she would love the train ride and to just enjoy it as they both had and it was on that very first train ride that they had met each other and as they say the rest is history. They became the very best of friends from that moment on and are still all these years later, each others best friend. Hermione smiled at both of them and as she put her hands on each of their cheeks, she told them 'and now you have me, too'. They both gave her a quick kiss on her lips and told her that she was the best part of them. They set her down and off she went to finish her packing so that they could get everything done because she wanted to have one last Quidditch game before they left. She had told them that she and Draco had been practicing a new move and they wanted to see if it would work the way they thought it would in an actual game.

Trunks were packed, Owls and Kitty were in their transport cages, books were all gathered, not that it was a problem if they forgot something they just had to floo over to the house to get it. Everyone met at the Grangers and one by one each group entered the floo and left for 'Severus and Remus quarters - Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'. Once they all arrived they marveled at the new rooms that Hogwarts had added. Hermione's room was spacious and had windows where the light of the sun or moon and stars would shine in. She was very excited about her rooms, but was even more excited when she saw the size of the bed that Remus and Severus now had. It was the first time she had seen it and she immediately went and got Harry and Draco and showed them, stating that if any of them had bad dreams the bed was big enough for all of them. Severus and Remus just shook their heads knowing that they were probably going to have more than just Hermione in their bed. It was fine with them, the more the merrier and it would keep them out of trouble if someone made an issue of it. Everyone worked together as a team and soon the kids rooms were all set up and ready for their arrival tomorrow. Draco and Harry shared a room just like they had since they were three and stayed with the Grangers. The three kids were inseparable and everyone agreed that they hoped for their sakes that they all ended up in the same house. Even though they would be together here, they couldn't imagine them not learning together as they had for the past six plus years. They would know tomorrow. Albus had stopped in to see how everything was going and was introduced to the new additions to the family. Hedwig and Blinky were excited checking out their new post and were flying around checking out the different rooms. Crooks was doing his cat thing and was enjoying rubbing up against everyone and getting lots of scratches and nose rubs. Albus seeing that everything was running smoothly, said his good-byes and told them that he would see them tomorrow at the sorting ceremony. As Albus was leaving he told James and Lucius that they were welcome to join them for the sorting and dinner as his special guests. Both men thanked him for the invitation and told him they would see him tomorrow then. Lucius then told Severus and Remus that he and James would floo over around an hour before the train was due to arrive and they could spend some time together before.

Severus and Remus peeked in Hermione's room to see how she was coming along with her unpacking. What took them by surprise was that she had somehow shrunk and packed her wolf playset that Robin and Roland had made her that very first Christmas that they had been with Hermione. Her walls were already covered in pictures of all the special moments that they had shared over the years. Her three wolves laid in the middle of her bed looking as if they were guarding everything around them. Hermione looked up at them and gave them her special smile and ran over to hug them. They knew she was feeling it, too. That feeling of total peace knowing that they were together and that she would be seeing them every day not just one weekend a month or at holiday time. They were going to be together every day and the warmth coming off her was powerful. Both of them knelt down and just held her, none of them saying anything but feeling everything that wasn't being spoken. As they held her they felt the bond they share strengthen and pulse as they knelt there holding Hermione tight. After a few moments the pulsing weakened and they moved to look in her eyes to see if she was okay. They finally understood that at certain times the bond would without any real warning just strengthen and they would be held in place unable to do anything but soak up the love the bond was putting out. Once it faded, Severus looked at Hermione and she in turned leaned in and kissed him. Then she turned to Remus and kissed him. Her kisses were always so soft and tender but filled with so much love and adoration. The love she had for them already, always astounded them and they knew that it was so much like the love that they had for her.

As they finished their moment, they found Jean watching them, she smiled and told them, "Your love for each other, it will only continue to grow and there will be days when you look at each other and can't believe that it's all so very real and then you will thank every deity that she is yours and you are hers. The love growing in your hearts will bloom and she will become even more so, the center of your world - just as you both are the center of her world. It is such a beautiful thing to experience, it is even more so to watch it happen to your child knowing that they are going through the same thing that once upon a time you went through. It is an honor to watch your journey with Hermione." and with that Jean went back out into the common room to see what else needed to be done.

Another half hour and everything was deemed done and whatever was left could be completed once they arrived. So, with happy hearts filled with excited anticipation everyone headed back to the Grangers for an outdoor cookout and after that they enjoyed several games of Quidditch before it was time to head for home and get ready for bed. Tomorrow would be here before they knew it.

_**All Abroad the Hogwarts Express:** _

Morning did come quickly for Hermione, Draco and Harry. Severus and Remus had gotten permission to see Hermione off with her parents and then they would apparate right to Hogwarts to help with final preparations for the students arrival and the sorting ceremony. Albus had spoken with Severus and Remus earlier to let them know that Hermione, Draco and Harry would be the last ones sorted and that he was going to let them place the hat on Hermione, Lucius was going to get to do Draco and James was going to get to do Harry. It would be a special event that hadn't been done before but Albus had told them he felt it was time for a change and wanted to shake things up a bit. They agreed that would do it.

As the familiar group approached Platform 9 3/4, Hermione watched the other kids going through the magical barrier. It was fascinating and she just stared and watched until Severus gently touched her left arm and guided her to the barrier and with Remus on her right, the three walked through the barrier and onto the Platform with the Hogwarts Express right in front of them. Hermione's eyes went wild as she looked at them and then back to the train. The Grangers were the next ones through the barrier and they were enjoying the look of complete shock on Hermione's face. Jean kidded that the train had left her speechless and that didn't happen often, Hermione then turned to her mother and gave her the 'Severus Snape' look of death and Jean just laughed and informed her that - that look didn't work on her that she was immune from the 'Severus Snape death glare'! They all laughed at that and moved forward as the Malfoys had come through with Draco and the Potters were right behind them with Harry.

As they were all talking and giving the kids their last little pep talk before they boarded, there was a disturbance by the engine of the train. Lucius peaked out and let everyone know that it was only Molly Weasley and her merry band of red-headed children. He reported that it seemed that Molly had two more headed to Hogwarts this year as Ronald and Ginerva were both entering Hogwarts as first years. Severus and Remus remembered that Molly had kindly knitted their Christmas sweaters with their wolves on them that first Christmas. Since then Molly had been very vocal of her displeasure at learning that Severus and Remus were actually bonded to Hermione and that she would be their wife in the future. They had been forced to have Lucius speak to her and to have her agree to silence or be made to make an unbreakable vow to keep her silence. She was spitting poison and it could not be allowed to continued. She had reluctantly agreed to keep her nose out of things that she didn't understand and to keep her opinions to herself. Thank goodness, she was true to her word and there hadn't been any issues since. Severus still wasn't totally convinced that Lucius hadn't used some kind of threat against her to keep her silence, but he really didn't care as long as she kept her opinions to herself and left them alone. They were doing nothing wrong, they were chosen as her mates not the other way around and they would not let the blessing that was Hermione go just because some prejudice woman couldn't keep her pie hole shut. They would continue to keep that from Hermione as she didn't need to be worried about that. They would continue to protect her and keep her away from people like Molly Weasley and her self-righteous thoughts.  

Severus was drawn from his thoughts as it was time to put Hermione and the boys on the train. Severus and Remus both felt that pain of separation, but they were working on fighting it back. She wasn't going to be alone, she was with her two protectors and they had been training for the last year so that if any danger would approach even at their young ages they would be able to hold it off until more adult help arrived. Both boys could now cast a full Corporeal Patronus. Harry's patronus was a stag like his father's animagus form, Draco patronus was a ferret. Draco was still having a bit of an issue with that as he was a big bad dragon animagus and had an itty bitty ferret for his patronus. Hermione's patronus was an otter. The three patronus would dance around each other and then run off with the otter and ferret laying in the antlers of the giant stag. Oh well Draco had thought, he could have been a rat. He had decided that he could live with the ferret.

The conductor was calling for everyone to board and so Hermione kissed her parents goodbye and told them she would write or floo soon and let them know what was happening. Draco and Harry hugged and kissed their parents goodbye while telling them they would write and see them soon. Then all the adults surrounded Severus, Remus and Hermione so they could have an uninterrupted moment. Severus gave her a kiss and told her he would see her very soon and Remus kissed her telling her not to hex too many people even if they deserved it. With the goodbyes said and the kisses given, the three musketeers boarded the Hogwarts Express - Harry went first, followed by Hermione with Draco bringing up the rear. The three quickly made their way down the corridor and found an empty car at the back of train. Harry quietly did a spell to make sure there wasn't anything unexpected in the cabin. Draco then did another spell to ensure all was right. Hermione smiled at them and thanked them for seeing to her safety. With their protective instincts satisfied, they settled back and talked while waiting for the train to leave the station. They knew their parents were already gone as both fathers were going to be at the ceremony tonight and they all knew that Severus and Remus needed to get to Hogwarts to help finish getting things ready for their arrival. So, it was then that the three best friends relaxed into each other, laughing and joking and wondering about everything they would encounter now that they were on their way.

As they were hearing the conductor make his last call for all abroad a very pretty girl with almost white hair and a pudgy boy open the compartment and asked if they could sit with them. Hermione was excited to meet new people as were Harry and Draco and so they invited them in and began asking them questions. As the conversation went on introductions were made and the trio learned that their new traveling companions were Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom. Neville had a frog - Trevor that was very good at disappearing. Harry smiled and asked Neville if he would like Harry to put a locator spell on Trevor and then that way he would always be able to find him. Neville was very excited about it and so Harry and Draco showed Neville what they were doing and how they did it and Trevor the frog now had a locator spell on him that all Neville had to do was say Trevor and Trevor would come to him. Luna and Hermione hit it off very well and were talking about what they thought their favorite classes would be. As the train traveled and made its way to Hogwarts, the five new friends eagerly shared their favorite things and eventually the topic turned to Quidditch and then they were off and running as Hermione, Harry and Draco shared about the Quidditch pitch that Hermione's dads had built and the epic games that they played over the last couple of years. Luna was interested about Hermione's heritage and thought it was amazing that she had two dads, two grandpas, two uncles to one aunt and so on. While the boys talked boy things, Hermione told Luna about the bond that tied her family together. Luna was genuinely curious and interested and not judgmental at all. She seemed to agree that it was a beautiful gift that her family had been given and she would be interested in learning more about it.

The trip was uneventful and peaceful and the closer they got to Hogwarts the more excited they became. They only had one small issue when Ronald Weasley barged into their compartment. Draco and Harry immediately went into protector mode and put Hermione behind them. Hermione not to be left out, had her wand ready and a stinging hex on her lips. Ronald realizing that he was out numbered decided he would back out and pretend that he hadn't just attempted to inject himself into their little group. He had seen Hermione when she boarded and had decided to set his sights on her. He was use to getting what he wanted and he decided that he wanted her and he would have her at some point. He could be patient, and sneaky and conniving. As he turned to walk away, Hermione let her hex fly so it hit Ronald squarely on his arse. The last they heard was Ronald yelling 'Bloody Hell...what was that!' as he grabbed his arse and rubbed it. Hermione thought to herself, he was going to be a problem but if he chose to mess with her he was going to regret it in more ways than one. She would let Severus and Remus know tonight when they retired to their rooms. She mentioned it to Draco and Harry who had already made the same assumption. Ronald Weasley...aka...the weasel as they had now dubbed him would need to be watched and watched carefully.

As the train made its way into the station, everyone was excited to get off and get to the castle. Hagrid was there to lead the first years to the boats and as Harry, Hermione and Draco entered one boat and Luna, Neville and a boy named Blaise entered the boat next to them, they sat down and looked up toward the castle. It was a beautiful sight to see even though she and the boys had seen the castle many times over the years, there was just something different about seeing it on a clear night with the stars and crescent moon in the background...in a boat...knowing that you were going to be going to school there. As the three friends snuggled together and looked up and watched the castle get closer and closer, all three were glad that they were making this journey together.


	21. Chaos during the Sorting Ceremony

As the boats arrived at the castle; Draco and Harry helped Hermione out of the boat and then stood protectively around her as they waited for their new friends; Neville and Blaise to help Luna out of their boat and then the six of them walked together up the steps to the front doors of the castle that would be their home for next seven years. Harry and Draco had put Hermione between them as they walked to the castle with Neville and Blaise following suit by putting Luna in the middle of them. The group of six continued talking and wondering what would happen during the sorting ceremony and again talk came around to what house they thought they would be sorted into. The trio had discussed their thoughts at length over the past summer; consulting, debating and logically trying to decide which house would best suit them. Now, they had three new friends and so it began again. In the end, it was agreed that no matter which house the 'hat' decided to place them in they were all hoping that it would place the six of them together.

Professor McGonagall meet the group of children at the top of the stairs and began her yearly speech about the houses and that when she called them up they were to sit on the stool and she would place the hat on their heads and the hat would then chose their house. Hermione listened intently as did Draco and Harry, Professor McGonagall - Aunt Minnie when no one was around was one of their favorites after Severus and Remus, of course. She had taught them so many things over the years and had been so very proud of them when they all took their animagus forms. Having grown up with many of the teachers at Hogwarts it was going to be interesting for the three to remember that here at Hogwarts they would need to remember that they were students and the teachers were just that...their teachers. They had been practicing with Jean and Cissy for the last six months to reprogram their brains to be sure that they showed everyone their respect and kept them firmly in the teacher mentality at least when they were in public. It was one of many reasons that Hermione, Draco and Harry were happy that their rooms were with Severus and Remus as it was going to be hard on them to not be able to have the closeness that they have always had. It was a given that Hermione would have the hardest time as she was closer to both Severus and Remus and she was thrilled that she would be there with them, but she was also very concerned that she didn't slip up and make things more difficult for them. She had gone back and forth all summer long with her endless list of questions for not only her parents but Severus and Remus. Hermione's biggest fear was slipping up and letting others know of their bond before it was time. She felt the toughest thing that she was going to face was not being able to show in public just how much she cared and loved them both. Jean had taken her for a long walk to reassure her that things would all fall into place and that she would be able to handle whatever might come their way. Severus and Remus spent time with her reassuring her that all would be well and if something were to happen then they would figure it out...together. That seemed to pacify Hermione at least for now and she was again at peace knowing that she would be with them every day and that would be the best part of it all. In her heart, she knew that she could do that.

As Minerva finished speaking she lead the group into the foyer and up to the doors of the Great Hall. The murmuring continued as the first years took in the majesty of the Great Hall looking all around. Hermione grinned as she looked at Draco and Harry as they all looked up at the ceiling which reflected the starry night sky. It was one of Hermione and the boys favorite places. They loved coming into the Great Hall when they visited and watching the sky. They especially loved to come in when it was thunderstorming out as the sky would light up with flashes of lightning and then you could feel the rumbles of thunder as they laid on the floor looking up. Severus and Remus had spent many nights laying on the floor with them watching the storm blow as they were all safely inside. The three looked around at all the other students who were watching them as they made their way to the front.

The Sorting Hat was singing its yearly jingle as they approached and when he was done, Headmaster Dumbledore stood and approached the front of the platform and began his yearly speech. However, this would be a little different than his usual one. He was grinning at the new students as he looked around at all the students present.

"Good evening returning students and hello to all of you - new students. Tonight is a night of celebration as the children that are being sorted tonight were turning one as the war against Voldemort was coming to a close. A few of you were turning two. It has been decided that we will honor our heroes tonight as many of the major players in Voldemort's demise have children beginning their Hogwarts schooling tonight. It has been decided amongst us that we will for the first time allow the parents to place the sorting hat upon their child's head and watch as they are sorted into their houses. There will also be one child that is sorted into her house by the two heroes that have a special place in her life. Going forward we will make this a tradition as we feel that it is important for parents to observe the sorting of their children. As this is the first time that we are doing this not everyone's parents will be here tonight, but every parent will receive a memory of your individual sorting to have for all time." Albus stepped back for a moment while the whispering between the tables and houses reached a high pitch as everyone was excited or baffled over this new development.

Albus then stepped forward again to gain everyone's attention and began, "Tonight we honor those who fought valiantly against the greatest evil our people have ever known. If it were not for their individual sacrifices I am here to say that we might not be here today. If Voldemort had won, life as we know it would not be what it is today. The prosperity and  continued growth of the wizarding community would have been severely affected  and some of you might not even be here. We owe our lives and our well being to these individuals and our eternal gratitude. Please hold your applause to the end while our heroes come forward."

"Professor Severus Snape...Professor Remus Lupin...Lord and Lady Lucius Malfoy...James Potter, who has brought along his lovely new wife, Maria...Professor Minerva McGonagall...Professor Filius Flitwick...Frank and Alice Longbottom ...Our new Minister of Magic - Kingsley Shacklebolt...Auror Mad-Eye Alastor Moody...Arthur and Molly Weasley...Irma Pince...there are many others that helped in bringing Voldemort down, but these are the ones that fought for our way of life and risked their lives so that we would not lose ours. Join me now in giving them the acknowledgement that they so deserve."

As Albus had called their names...one by one had walked out and joined Albus on the platform. Severus, Remus, Lucius and Cissy, James and Maria, Irma, Minerva, Filius  stood together on the left side while the others stood on the right side. The Hall erupted in cheers and whistles. Hermione, Draco and Harry yelled and clapped knowing how important their families were. They had grown up listening to the story of how they all helped take down Voldemort. Robin and Roland had told Severus and Remus how they had prayed for their safety during that time and how grateful they were when they had learned that both boys had survived. Once the hall had settled down Albus had Minerva take the hat and she gave it to Filius to hold as she called out the names.

The first ones called were the ones whose parents weren't there. The children went into all four different houses as there was quite a few children this year. Once those children were sorted they began on the others.

"Susan Bones" called Minerva.

Her parents placed the hat on her head and after a few moments it yelled "Hufflepuff!!"

"Gregory Goyle" came the call from Minerva

The hat thought for 15 seconds and yelled..."Gryffindor"!! Goyle looked at the hat and shrugged his shoulders and headed for the Gryffindor table.

"Vincent Crabbe"

Again the hat thought for a moment and yelled..."Gryffindor"!! Off he went to the Gryffindor table.

"Hannah Abbott"

The hat sat for several minutes contemplating and finally decided..."Hufflepuff"!

"Ronald Weasley"

The hat ummmed to itself for several minutes while thinking where best to put this trouble maker. He was going to be a thorn in many sides but where to put him...finally sighing the hat spoke..."Gryffindor" Off Ron went having no clue as to the dilemma he had just put the hat through. Molly was smiling wildly as she congratulated Ron on being in Gryffindor.

"Ginerva Weasley"

Once the hat was firmly on her head, it started with its pondering. Strong and very brave...intelligent...kind, but where to place you. The winds of change are blowing...yes it's time for a change and you will be that change and with that the hat declared, "Hufflepuff"!!! Molly Weasley just stood there with her mouth open and then shaking herself out of her stupor started to argue with the hat.

"Surely...you are mistaken. Everyone in our family is Gryffindor! You need to do this over." Molly screeched. Albus kindly but very firmly told her to go sit down. The hat has spoken and it would not be changing its mind. Molly stormed off to pout while the sorting continued. Ginny, however, had jumped down and run over to the Hufflepuff table and sat down between Hannah and Susan and started talking. Unknown to her mother, Ginny had been on the train with both Hannah and Susan and the three had become fast friends. Ginny had secretly been hoping the hat would place her in Hufflepuff and it would seem, much to Ginny's delight that the hat had known that. The winds of change, indeed.

"Blaise Zabini"

"Aww...yes...you have a date with destiny. You will be needed to help defend and protect your friends. When trouble comes you will be there to protect those that will become important to you. Yes...I know just where you will be needed the most...Slytherin!!!"

"Neville Longbottom"

"Quiet but brave...strong and resilient...faithful and kind. Your strengthens will be put to the test but you will endure and conqueror. Your faithfulness will be their undoing. They will consider you an underdog but you will show them your true self. I have need of you...it is important...you will succeed and triumph and gain so much more than you can even imagine...Slytherin!!!!"

"Luna Lovegood"

"Yes...shines like the moon yet has a quiet, unpredictable knowing. Yes...Yes...you will be important in the years to come. A friendship and a bond like none you have seen before. You will become the rock on which they stand...Yes...there is only one place for you to go....Slytherin!!!!"

The hall had gone deadly quiet as the hat sorted the new first years into their houses. Some had gone where many thought they would be sorted, but the hat had thrown caution to the wind and had sorted many into houses that no one would have ever guessed that they would be in. Now, only our three remained to be sorted, but as Hermione, Draco and Harry stood side by side waiting, it seems that Albus had more to say.

"Before we sort these last three students, I must give you a little background into these three. They have been best friends since they were 3. They have grown up together in a tight bond that has only strengthen as they have grown older. Draco and Harry are Hermione's protectors and you would do well to heed that. They have sworn to keep her safe and protect her from any danger. These three are also already very very strong with their magic. Unlike most, they began training and learning about their magic from the time they were 4. Over the years, they have been tutored and taught by many of the teachers that stand before you tonight. In the beginning, it was to help Hermione's family learn more about magic, but over the years it became apparent that the three of them want the opportunity to learn along with their regular school studies. It was soon realized that the three of them possessed incredible strength with their magic and we began training them. It was under my supervision that we watched and learned from them and what they would be capable of doing. I then presented our findings to the Hogwarts Board, which was very interested in learning if we were exactly doing our students a disservice by not teaching them sooner in life. These three students became our guinea pigs...so to speak. We watched...we learned...and we saw three exceptional students learn things that most seventh year students struggle with. At this time, I will present our Minister of Magic...Kingsley Shacklebolt who will be delighted to enlighten you all further. Minister Shacklebolt" Albus finished

"Good Evening, Students! It is an honor to preside over this very unique sorting ceremony. Before we sort these last three exceptional students I would like them to give you a demonstration of what they have learned and why we are now considering very strongly of beginning your education much sooner instead of waiting until you reach eleven years old. What these three have been able to accomplish in the last few years is nothing short of amazing and it is our desire at the Ministry to make this kind of opportunity available to every child. Hermione, Draco and Harry would you please stand side by side and spread out and then when I tell you I would like the three of you to cast your patronus'." Kingsley smiled down on the three who spread out and got ready to do what he has asked.

"Now for those of you that have not learned yet what a patronus is, I will give you a brief description. The Patronus Charm is the most powerful defensive charm known to wizardkind. It is an positive energy force. It is the primary protection against Dementors and Lethifolds, against which there are no other defense. In order to cast a patronus you need to have a very strong happy memory. One that is very, very strong. Patronus' can also be use to send messages.  Whatever the form of their Patronus, you would be well-advised to show respect, and occasionally caution, towards a witch or wizard who produces the Patronus of their choice. Children...now"

 ** _"Expecto Patronum"_** Hermione, Draco and Harry said all at once.

In front of where our trio stood appeared their full-bodied corporeal Patronus' and true to their playful nature, the otter that was Hermione's leaped onto the stag that was Harry's, climbing its way up into the antlers followed closely behind by Draco's ferret. Harry's stag then ran, jump and leaped over the tables before coming back and bowing before Kingsley's feet. The hall erupted in shouts and applause for the three. Hermione looked up and caught Severus and Remus as they nodded in approval.

Kingsley then quieted the hall once more. "I would like Professor Minerva McGonagall to share with you what it is like to take your animagus form. It is also a more experienced magic that not everyone has the time or patience for. Minerva...if you would please."

Minerva stepped forward and began by explaining what it was to be an animagus and the procedure that one must go through to become one. She stressed that it was not for the faint hearted and it took extreme concentration and focus to be able to shift into your form. Minerva then turned with a big smile and asked her fellow animagus' to come forward. As our group came forward and stood side by side, they one by one shifted into their forms. Everyone in the hall, held their breath as Severus and Remus became wolves, followed by Lucius and Cissy shifting into their tiger and lion forms...next came Jean who turned into her beautiful phoenix form - followed by Robin and Roland and their bear and nundu forms. True to their characters they began to wrestle until Minerva gave them the look and they stood up and worked on behaving. James and Maria shifted and Maria's lynx climbed up into James' antlers and lounged there while waiting.

Minerva then turned to Hermione, Draco and Harry and with a big smile, she counted down 3...2....1...go! Hermione shifted into her wolf form followed by Draco in his dragon form and Harry in his Thunderbird form. Then true to their nature, Hermione jumped on Draco's back and off he went with Harry right behind him. Jean always the guardian when the boys were flying with Hermione was right on the wings. Hermione did her flip from Draco to Harry in mid flight with Jean flying under just in case she missed. The three then flew right over to Minerva, who gave them a swat with her paw. Hermione ran over and pounced on Severus and Remus not to be left out jumped on them both, with the three of them rolling around. Once they had gotten that out of their systems, Hermione nuzzled both boys and stood between them. Minerva, then shifted back and again told the students that if they wanted to devote the time and energy to becoming an animagus that she would be teaching extra credit classes on it.

Everyone shifted back and Kingsley again took centered stage. He again thanked Dumbledore for inviting him and added that it was now time to sort the last three students.

Draco, Hermione and Harry stood hand in hand. This was it...their fate was about to be determined. Would they be sorted into the same house or would they be forced to be separated? It was time...

Minerva smiled at the three students before her as she prepared to call on them. She had become close to all of them over the years and she was silently hoping that they would end up together. Taking a breath she called, "Draco Malfoy"

Minerva handed the hat to Lucius who stood to the right while Cissy was standing on Draco's left. As Lucius went to put the hat on Draco, he whispered and told Draco how very proud of him he was and that no matter where the hat placed him, he would not be any less proud. Lucius lowered the hat onto Draco's head with Cissy's help and they waited.

"Awww...here you are. I've been waiting for you...yes...yes a strong destiny you have before you...a protector...a friend...a secret that will be revealed later on...smart...brave...cunning...strong...kind...tough...yes...all of these you will need in the years to come. Yes...I have been waiting...you will be all that you need to be...so it is off to....Slytherin!!!!"

Draco smiled and hugged his mum and dad and off to the Slytherin table he went. He sat down across from Blaise, Luna and Neville and waited to see if the other two would join him.

Minerva smiled and called, "Harry Potter"

James and Maria came to stand on either side of him. James took the hat from Minerva and together they placed it on his head.

"There you are...I've been waiting for you, too. The other half of the whole...protector...guardian...friend to the very end. You have the courage and bravery of your father and the kindness and cunningness of your true mother though not the mother of your birth. Yes...you, too will be strong...cunning...brave...loyal to the end. I could place you there...but...no...you are need here more...in time you will understand just how much you are needed...so it's off to....Slytherin!!!!"

Harry smiled and hugged James and then turned to Maria and gave her a big hug and whispering so only she could hear him asked, "You were in Slytherin, weren't you?" Maria gave him a big smile and nodded 'yes'. Harry hugged her again and ran off to the Slytherin table to join the others and wait with baited breath to see if the third member of their trio would be sorted into Slytherin, too.

Before Minerva called Hermione up to be sorted, Albus and Kingsley stepped forward together.

Albus began to speak,  "Once in lifetime, an event so powerful happens that changes you forever. A bond that is formed when a child is born, when two pieces of that child's soul splits and then takes off to find the two mates that are destine to complete them. Until I saw the evidence of such a bond, I admit that it had never occurred to me that such a thing could exist. Then I met the Grangers and learned that indeed it can and it does happen. On Hermione's mothers side of the family for 700 recorded years, every child that has been born is bound to two mates. That being what it is...Hermione Granger also has such a soul bond that she shares with her two soul mates. She has been spoken for as well as her mates from the day she was born. I will not divulge at this time who her mates are, only that they are both here at Hogwarts. I will also say that the Hogwarts Board is fully aware of this and have put in special precautions to deal with the events that will unfold down the road. This is being explained to you now so that in the future when other things are reveled it will not be a total shock nor will it be unexpected. I have watched Hermione with her soul mates for many years now and the bond they share is indeed not only beautiful but very strong. It has been a privilege to watch the bond strengthen and grow.  At this time, I will also make you aware of the fact the Harry and Draco have been trained as her protectors and you have already seen just a small token of the strong magic they both possess. It is in your best interest to not attempt to cause trouble as they will strike first and ask questions later. They have the full support and backing of not only the school board, but also of myself and Minister Shacklebolt. As Draco, Harry and Hermione all have special circumstances their rooms will reside with Professors Snape and Lupin. I expect this not to be an issue, if there are any problems ~ you will be directed to see me."

Minister Kingsley stepped up and added, "The ministry is also aware of the unique situation that we find ourselves in. A soul bond is rare, this bond is even rarer. I have also had the privilege over the last several years to watch Hermione and her mates grow together. As Headmaster Dumbledore has previously said, nothing has been hidden from us. The Granger's have been very open and very helpful in helping us understand what will happen in the years to come especially once the bond is sealed. It is a great privilege to be a part of this. We can learn so much from all of them. It is my hope that everyone can be accepting and generous towards them. It will truly be an amazing experience. Thank you again for inviting me, tonight. Now...without further ado, let us sort our last student." Kingsley gave Hermione a huge smile and stepped back as Severus and Remus approached the stool. Robin stood by Severus and Roland by Remus, both placing their hands on the boys shoulders, Jean and Irma stood in the middle.

Minerva looked to all of them and nodded, then with a big smile she said, "Hermione Granger"!

Hermione slowly walked up the steps and taking Severus' hand he helped her onto the stool. Remus was close by making sure she had settle comfortably and then the boys looked to their parents and taking a deep breath, Severus and Remus gently placed the hat on her head.

"There 'you' are!!  Took their good ol' sweet time now didn't they. Yes...Yes...you are everything I thought you would be. Kind...sweet...brave...daring...cunning...smart as a whip...don't take no crap from anyone...yes...yes...you could easily go into all four houses but no...no...you my girl...your destiny lies elsewhere...where protectors lie and wait...where your love knows no bounds...yes...I have the perfect place for you...new friends and allies you will make...not two but four protectors do I see...and a best friend for all eternity...yes...you will become great...as will your friends...yes...it has been an honor Miss Hermione...a true honor...now...off you go.....Slytherin!!!!!!!!"

Hermione released the breath she had been holding and jumped up and right into Severus and Remus' arms. They held her for a moment and then let her go so she could give her parents and Irma a big hug. Severus reassured her they would talk when they got back to their rooms. Hermione gave them all a big smile and off she went to the Slytherin table and right between Harry and Draco. They didn't know how it had happened but the six of them had ended up together and they couldn't be happier for it.

Albus gave the signal and the tables filled with all kinds of wonderful food. Everyone laughed and ate and talked excitedly about everything that had happened. Hermione quietly thought about what the hat had said, " new friends and allies you will make...not two but four protectors do I see...and a best friend for all eternity." as Hermione looked across the table she knew. Blaise and Neville would become her other protectors and Luna...Luna would be her best friend for all eternity. Smiling to herself...the hat had indeed chosen wisely and she had no doubts that what had started on the train would continue long after they finished their schooling.

Across the room at Gryffindor table, one Ronald Weasley stewed. Soul mates...bah humbug...right. Everyone knows there is no such thing as soul mates. He would just have to make her see that 'HE - Ronald Weasley' he was the one meant for her. He would have her...come hell or high water...she would be his. Little did Ron know that the six new Slytherin students already knew he was a problem and Draco, Harry and Neville along with Blaise were already thinking up ways to deal with one, Ronald 'I am a right pain in the arse' Weasley. They couldn't wait to get back to Severus and Remus and let them know what happened on the train. Draco and Harry had both agreed that if push came to shove, that they wouldn't be adverse to eating him, even if it would give them a rather bad case of indigestion. Yes...Ron thought he was clever, but he was about to find out the hard way, that you don't mess with Hermione if you want to live a long and healthy life.  

As the students filed out of the Great Hall and were taken to their new common rooms, our trio headed up the stairs with Remus and Severus. They would have to check on their new students as they were the Head of House, but they wanted to escort Hermione and the boys to their rooms first. A little later once Severus and Remus returned Hermione, Draco and Harry gave them the run down on the train ride. Severus was glad that they had made new friends and that they had all been sorted into Slytherin. Draco told how Neville and Blaise wanted to help them protect Hermione and Hermione told them about how nice Luna had been and that all though she loved the boys, she was very happy to have a girl to talk to. Draco and Harry just laughed and told her they were happy for her, too. She would have someone to hang with when the boys just wanted to go do boy things. She slapped them both and laughed knowing they were teasing her because she went and did everything they did. Severus and Remus both got very serious looks on their faces when Draco and Harry told them about the 'weasel'. Severus and Remus both agreed that they would have to watch him closely and make sure that he didn't cause any trouble. If he did...he would realize very quickly that they were not to be mess with and he best leave Hermione alone. Severus sneered deeply saying that if he was a Weasley it would take more than one time to get his attention. Weasley's were notoriously thick headed and didn't like taking no for an answer. Point taken tonight when Ginny was sorted into Hufflepuff, Molly almost had kittens right then and there. Yes...Ronald would need to be watched. Draco and Harry laughed and told them it was the perfect opportunity to try out their 007 tricks. Severus and Remus couldn't help laughing over that. Oh...Ron...you are in for quite the surprise.

It was getting late so the boys headed to their room to get ready for bed. Hermione went to hers and got ready and then went over to Severus and Remus' room and climbed up into their bed and waited. It was her first night in the castle and even though she had stayed with them before this was different. She wanted to talked to them alone and tell them what the sorting hat had said but it was getting late and she was getting tired. Feeling a little uneasy about the whole Ron thing...and castle thing...and being away from her parents thing...and now being with Remus and Severus all the time thing...she had grabbed her three wolves and she cuddled down in the bed and waited her boys to come. She had been surprised when Headmaster 'Albus' and 'Kingsley' had spoken about her bond. She wasn't sure how she felt about it...it had surprised her but then it had also made her feel safe. If people knew she had soul mates and she had them since birth, hopefully that would keep the boys away. Hopefully it was enough to derail Ron but she had a feeling that it wouldn't even faze him. He was definitely trouble and she could sense it. She would not be able to let her guard down around him. It was a good thing that the hat had said she would have four protectors...she had a feeling she was going to need them.

Hermione snuggled down deeper into the bed and was soon asleep. Remus and Severus had stayed up talking about what the boys had told them about Ron. It hadn't set well with either of them and they were going to have to be on high alert with that one. It would seem that if Weasley couldn't learn his lesson the easy way - he would be learning it the hard way. It's a good thing that she was with them and far from Gryffindor tower. When they entered their room they looked over at their sleeping Hermione. She looked so peaceful, but when they looked closer they saw the wolves and sighed...she was worried. The only time she slept with her wolves now was when something was bothering her or if she was missing them. With them being together it could only be one thing and they both knew what it was...she was worried about Ronald Weasley, too. They would have to take care of that and quickly. They quickly got ready for bed and slide under the covers with their girl. Both boys snuggled up nice and tight to her giving her a kiss on her head and whispering to her that they would not let anything or anyone hurt her. They heard her slowly sigh and as she snuggled into them, they all drifted off to sleep...knowing they were safe together.


	22. 1st Term with Quidditch Tryouts and More

Hermione, Draco and Harry settled into their first term quickly. It wasn't as hard as they thought it would be. It helped that their rooms were with Severus and Remus and they could spend unguarded time with them. By the third week; Blaise, Luna and Neville were joining them in their rooms to study and work on homework. The six had developed a good routine and when the homework was done they were able to just relax and enjoy each others company. Luna had become a lifesaver to Hermione in many ways and the two were now inseparable best friends. Hermione had found someone that she could confide in who would listen to how she was feeling about certain things...things she didn't want to burden Severus or Remus with. She would be 12 in another week and she could already feel her feelings for her mates shifting. This bothered her as her mum had led her to believe that the romantic feelings for her mates wouldn't come until much later. The fact that her heart would now flutter when she would see them, especially when they were teaching and also that when she would snuggle them she wanted to be closer...much closer. When they gave her kisses, she wanted them to last longer. She knew that soon she would need to write her mum and ask her what was going on and if it was normal. Hermione, still loved to over analyze everything, but Luna brought her back into balance. Luna had assured her that it was more than likely just the progression of the bond she shared with Severus and Remus. Hermione had agreed with Luna that perhaps she was over thinking things and hoped that a simple answer would curb her fears.

Her biggest fear…was compromising Severus or Remus. She loved them so much and the thought that she could inadvertently hurt them was overwhelming her. It hadn’t been a problem before because they were safely in the protection of her home but now that they were all together at Hogwarts, she was becoming increasingly worried that somehow she would make a mistake and it would cost them. It all came to a head on the weekend they celebrated her birthday. Severus and Remus had notice that her behavior was becoming increasingly worrisome and when her parents arrived for her birthday celebration, the boys had pulled them aside to tell them what they were observing and what they could do to help her. Jean immediately went to Hermione and pulled her into her room with Luna. Once they were behind closed doors, Hermione broke down, sobbing and spilled it all out to her mum. All her fears and concerns and with Luna’s help the two of them held Hermione and just let her unload. Jean reassured Hermione and reminded her that ‘the fear of a thing is worse than the actually thing’. Hermione agreed knowing that her mum was right. She just didn’t want to ever do anything to hurt them and Jean smiled and told her that was all a part of life and growing into being an adult. Jean again reminded her that she was human and making mistakes was just a part of life. Jean then had asked Hermione, would she ever knowingly or on purpose do anything that might hurt Remus or Severus. At that Hermione had shook her head vehemently saying that she would never do that. Jean had smiled at her and Hermione relaxed. That was the key, she would never do anything to hurt them, but being human something could happen and if it did then they would just work through it – together.

That being conquered and with Luna’s gentle prodding, Hermione then opened up to her mum about the new feelings she was feeling toward Severus and Remus. Jean looked surprised for a moment, but then covered her emotions quickly as to not upset Hermione until she could tell her everything. Jean listened intently and asked questions which Hermione honestly answered. Jean sighed and pulled her daughter in for a hug, she reassured Hermione that what she was feeling was natural, a bit earlier than they thought it would happen but not really all that surprising as she was now with her boys every day. This was probably the cause of her feelings and there really was nothing wrong with feeling the way she was feeling. Her mum told her that she would discuss this with her fathers and have them talk to Severus and Remus to see if their feelings were also changing now that they were together every day. Jean took Hermione’s hands in hers and lovingly told her that her feelings for her dads had begun to change around the time she turned 13, so Hermione wasn’t really too far off that mark. She reminded Hermione that she had been close to Severus and Remus since she was four and had known for a long time that they were hers. The fact that her feelings were growing really wasn’t all that surprising. Jean had then asked Hermione to not keep things like this to herself, but when she became aware of her feelings changing to please let her know right away. Hermione looked puzzled and Jean explained that if her feelings were changing already that it was possible that her deeper feelings for the boys may also come in earlier than they thought. Hermione blushed a deep red knowing that her mum was talking about the sexual feelings that would come. Jean brushed the hair that had fallen into her eyes, and softly told her that it was a natural progression and nothing to be ashamed off, but reiterated that when those feelings did begin it would be extremely important for her to let her know as soon as possible. These things seemed to affect all the members of the bond and so her dads would need to be able to help Severus and Remus deal with what they were feeling. Hermione released a breath she had been holding and nodded knowing that it would all be okay. Jean hugged Hermione again and then gave Luna a hug and thanked her for being there for Hermione. They spent a little while longer talking so that Jean could get to know Hermione’s new friend.  

When the girls came out of Hermione’s room, Hermione and Luna went over to see what the four boys were up to. Jean went over to Robin and Roland and pulled them over to the side of the room to tell them what was going on. Once she had explained to them what was happening with Hermione, Robin and Roland took Severus and Remus to the library to first explain what was happening with Hermione and then to ask them if they were feeling any different. Severus and Remus had then both let out big sighs and told them that they too had noticed a subtle shift in their feelings for her. They hadn’t given it too much thought but now that they knew what was going on with Hermione, they put the pieces to their own puzzles together and admitted that their feelings were matching hers. Severus had begun to pace and Remus was nervously running his fingers through his hair. Robin and Roland grinned at each other and both reached out and put their hands on the boys’ shoulders to steady them. Robin and Roland both reassured them that they had done nothing wrong, that their feelings weren’t wrong and that it was indeed a natural process of the bond. They shared with both boys Jean’s theory that it was possible the feelings were brought on sooner because they had known her for so long. Robin and Roland, had then turned both boys toward them and placing their hands on their shoulders, told them that it was very important that as soon as the more intense, sexual feelings started they needed them to alert them as soon as possible. Severus had looked shocked at first and then nodded, Remus had asked the why question and Roland had laughed explaining that they were unfortunately going to be guinea pigs in this whole process and it would be important to know so that they could help them. If Hermione’s feelings and theirs were already strengthening then it was a safe assumption that the other feelings could and probably would come in sooner. Severus and Remus had given them the ‘deer caught in the headlights’ look of horror and Robin had to explain that the sexual feelings may start when Hermione was 15. Both boys put it together realizing that it would mean theirs would also begin when hers did.

Severus then wanted to know how to stop those feelings because the last thing he or Remus wanted to do was dishonor Hermione or them in any way. Roland told them that they would help them to deal with their feelings and would give them suggestions on how to curb the desires that may arise, but that they needed to relax and realize that it really was all the progression of the bond and as far as they knew from their personal experiences and watching what happened with their other children, the bond would also protect them so things didn’t go too far. That seemed to relieve Severus and Remus of some of their uneasiness. Both boys had again told Robin and Roland that they didn’t want to do anything that would be considered inappropriate and they didn’t want to hurt or scare Hermione. Robin suggested that they get in the habit of talking to Hermione about how they were feeling and encourage her to be open with them on how she was feeling. Communication in the months and years to come would be critical to all of them, to help the three of them navigated these unknown waters together. Robin pulled Severus into a hug with Roland doing the same to Remus. Both boys relaxed and hugged the men that had become their fathers back knowing that they would protect and keep them all safe. Remus had then asked if they could indulge in longer kisses or would that be unwise at this time. Roland had smiled as he remembered when he had kissed Jean longer than a few seconds, the feelings of contentment that had surrounded him. Roland suggested that they experiment and see what happened. If they felt content then to continue, if they felt uncomfortable then to stop and try again in a few months. Robin had clarified that there really was no set pattern, no right or wrong, it was really learning what each other wanted or needed at a certain moment and being able to accommodate. With every couple it was different, that again was why communication was key. They would learn together, as it was Hermione’s birthday Robin suggested that when they retired to their room tonight for each of them to give her a longer kiss and see what happened. Severus and Remus had both smiled at that and agreed. They also agreed that they would let them know how it went. With the knowledge they now had, the four went back out into the main room to enjoy Hermione’s birthday celebration.

Later that night after everyone had retired to their rooms, the castle had added rooms for Blaise, Neville and Luna when it had become clear that the six were becoming inseparable and did everything together. Severus, being Head of Slytherin House had granted approval as did Albus for the other three to stay over on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings for now. It would seem that other accommodations would be made in the near future to allow Blaise, Neville and Luna to also room with Severus and Remus. Luna had known immediately that Severus and Remus were Hermione’s soul mates. A few days before Hermione’s birthday, Neville and Blaise had approached both men and asked if they were Hermione’s mates. Remus had laughed and asked them how they had figured it out. Neville had relaxed and told them that besides the fact that they were together here, he also noticed that when the six of them were with the two older men that Severus and Remus would surround Hermione while Harry and Draco would also form a barrier around her. He told them that Harry and Draco had shared with both him and Blaise about being Hermione’s protectors and had asked them if he and Blaise could learn to be protectors as well. Blaise had also told them that four protectors would be even better than two and with Ronald Weasley being a threat they wanted to be able to keep Hermione safe if he ever tried anything. The weasel might be able to take two out but he would have a very hard time taking four and Hermione out. Neville had laughed saying that Hermione could handle anyone, but she also knew that Weasley would not be abiding by the rules and so she was willing to have all the help she could get. Severus and Remus had been impressed with the boys and their dedication to Hermione after only a few weeks. Both men agreed that they would train them along with Harry and Draco. It was at this moment that Luna and Hermione had appeared and Luna informed the men that she too would be training as it only made sense that there may be times when Hermione was with her alone, justifying it with the fact that they were both girls and there were places that only girls could go. Remus had grinned and conceded that Luna’s logic was extremely reasonable and that they would train all of them.

As Severus and Remus climbed into bed that night with Hermione, they pulled her close and told her how much they loved her and that they wanted her to talk to them when something was bothering her. They reassured her that they couldn’t help her if they didn’t know something was going on. She nodded and told them that she hadn’t understood why her feelings were changing, that she thought it wouldn’t happen yet and that she had been afraid that they would be angry with her and push her away. Severus gently took her face in his hand while Remus wrapped his arm around her tighter and they both told her that they would never be angry or push her away because her feelings were becoming stronger for them. They then explained to her that they were feeling stronger feelings for her and had been concerned that they might do something that would frighten her. Their main concern was and would always be her. She touch Severus’ face and sighed while holding tightly to Remus’ hand that was around her waist. She promised them that she would come to them from now on and tell them no matter how small a matter it might be. She didn’t want to keep secrets from them and she realized that she needed them more than she ever had. Severus then leaned down and kissed her tenderly on her lips, keeping their lips together for more than a minute. When he broke the kiss he looked at her with concern to see how she was taking the longer kiss. She gave him a big smile and told me that was a really amazing kiss. Severus asked how it made her feel and she again smiled at him and told him that it made her feel loved and cherish. Severus returned her smile and then Hermione turned toward Remus and asked him for a kiss, Remus smiled at her and lowered his lips to hers and kissed her extra long. When he broke the kiss he watched her for a sign that she was still alright with the longer kisses. She placed her hand on Remus’ face and told him thank you and that it was lovely and she would like more. Both boys laughed and snuggled her and she giggled. When she had received several more long kisses, she curled up tight to them and told them she loved them and silently went to sleep with a big smile on her face. Remus looked at Severus and had said, ‘well…that went well.’ Severus had agreed and both had snuggled up to their girl and were asleep soon after.

Two weeks later, on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, our six friends along with Severus and Remus head out to the Quidditch Pitch. Severus had arranged for Slytherin to have the pitch for several hours as he knew Harry, Draco and Hermione were itching to get some practice in before tryouts the following week. Severus had arranged for Marcus Flint to meet them out there as he was Captain for the Slytherin Quidditch team and Severus had told him about the three 1st years and that they played at home on the pitch that Hermione’s dads had made. Marcus was impressed that they had their own pitch and was more than happy to accompany Severus for the practice. It didn’t take long for Marcus to realize that the three were quite good and adaptable. As Hermione and Draco zigged and zagged and worked on their special techniques that they had been building on for several years now, he watched Harry with his quiet precision and precise concentration, move and hone in on the snitch. While Hermione and Draco scored point after point, it was Harry’s focus and cunning ability to anticipate the snitch’s moves that proved that Harry somehow knew how to become one with the snitch. Time after time, Harry would swoop in and grab the snitch before anyone else realized that he had found it. Blaise and Neville had watched at first and then they had asked Severus and Remus permission to join. Neville wanted to play the keeper position and Blaise joined as a chaser. It wasn’t long before Marcus and Adrian Pucey introduced themselves and joined in as the beaters. Severus and Remus refereed and together they worked together and by the end of the practice time, Marcus confide to Severus that he believed he had his first string team. Marcus was truly amazed at how in sync the others were. It was if they had been playing together for many years, which Severus explained that Harry, Draco and Hermione had been. Neville and Blaise were just another piece of the puzzle that fit.

The next week were the official tryouts and even though Marcus had already decided who he want on first string, they still needed to tryout with the others. The others didn’t even come close and in the end, not only did our trio make the team, but Neville and Blaise also made the team. It would be a first time that five first years would be playing on the Slytherin team. It was a first for any of the teams. Severus and Remus had been somewhat relieved when they knew that the four protectors would be playing alongside Hermione especially after they heard the Ronald Weasley had made the Gryffindor team. It was going to be an interesting season with the first game scheduled in three weeks which would be Slytherin against Gryffindor. It would be a good game for sure.

The next three weeks went by in a blur between Quidditch practice, homework, studying, library time with Irma, quiet time and what Hermione had dubbed, mates time. That was what she called the time that she got to spend with Severus and Remus alone. She enjoyed just being able to be with them without the added stress of having to watch herself. Severus and Remus had decided that not only would they have time together with the three of them, but they wanted to start spending some time with Hermione by themselves. It had always been the three of them, but now that Hermione was older and things were beginning to shift some, they realized that they both wanted and needed that one on one time. They had sat Hermione down one night and asked her if it would be alright if they spent alone time with her without the other. Hermione had at first not understood why they would want to do that, she thought it would always be the three of them, always together. Severus had explained that they would also be together the three of them, but that they each wanted time to spend alone with her. Hermione had asked them if she could think on it, and when they said yes, she immediately went and wrote her mum asking her if this was normal or if something was wrong. Jean, Robin and Roland arrived shortly after to talk to the three of them together. Hermione’s dads explained that it was perfectly fine to spend time with each of them alone. Jean reassured Hermione that nothing was wrong with that, she often spent time with just one of her dads. She helped Hermione to see that although Severus and Remus were best friends, they had different interests. Jean gave her the example of Severus being a potion master and his interest in potions while Remus and Severus both shared an interest in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Remus also was a Charms master. They each enjoyed different things and that is what they wanted to share with her when they were one on one with her. Hermione then nodded that she understood now what they wanted of her, she smiled and had said, ‘they just want me to know each of them better’. Jean had smiled and said, ‘Yes, they do’. She had then hugged both her boys and told them that she would be honored to get to know each of them better. Severus and Remus had both smiled and thanked her for allowing them this special privilege.

The morning of their first Quidditch game dawned bright and sunny. As the Slytherin team made their way into the great hall everyone turned to look. There had been rumors going around about how tough Slytherin was going to be this year, but most of the other houses couldn’t see it. How were they going to dominate when they had five first years on their team? Over at the Gryffindor table, Ronald was going on and on about how Gryffindor was going to wipe the field with the Slytherin team. That they didn’t stand a chance of scoring any points against him, that ‘he’ was the greatest Keeper that there ever was. On and on he went about his greatness and what he was going to do. His teammates finally told him to sit down and be quiet or they were going to bench him for being a loud mouth dousebag. Hermione was trying her best not to laugh and looking at her teammates, she smiled and had said, ‘that he isn’t going to know what hit him when we get done with him’. The others heartily agreed and finished their breakfasts and headed out to get ready for the game. Luna walked out with them, keeping close to Hermione with Neville and Blaise walking behind them and Harry on Hermione’s left and Draco next to Luna. It was there standard walking formation with two behind and two on the side. It was the same way in classes, Harry and Draco sat on either side of Hermione and Luna sat between Neville and Blaise behind them. In the classes where they sat two together, Harry and Draco sat in front with the girls in the middle and Neville and Blaise behind. At all times, the girls were protected. It made Hermione and Luna feel secure as well just knowing that if anyone want to start trouble they had to get through four boys that would be very pissed off.

As Slytherin team waited in their room for the game to begin, Marcus was talking strategies and with a wicked grin he had asked Hermione if she would be willing to help Mr. Weasel eat his boastful words. Hermione had laughed and asked him what his plan was and so the ultimate plan was formed to take down one oversize braggart. As they all gathered around and made their game plan, they could hear the rest of the school filing into the pitch for the game. Shortly after that, Severus and Remus arrived to wish the team ‘luck’ and Severus pulled Hermione over and told her to remember to have fun. He really wanted to give her a kiss but felt that he probably shouldn’t until Marcus and Adrian put two and two together. Remus did the same and then said he regrettably needed to go check in with Team Gryffindor. He told them on his way out that he would secretly be rooting for Team Slytherin. Severus gave his team his pep talk of fair play, just do what you do best and let’s beat the snot out of Gryffindor. He told Hermione and the boys that he and Remus would be sitting in the stands with Lucius and Cissy, James and Maria, and Jean, Robin and Roland along with Neville parents. Blaise knew his mum wouldn’t be there but Severus put his hand on his shoulder and told him that he and Remus would be his cheer squad. Blaise thanked him and the team prepared to make their debut.

The cheers from the crowd were wild as the teams took the field. Team Slytherin took to the air and made their pass around the pitch and then settled into their positions. Team Gryffindor, who were defending champs took to the air with Ronald showing off and acting like a total moron. Hermione looked to Draco and Harry and then to Marcus and Adrian and lastly to Neville and Blaise, then she said to all of them, “Let’s do this!!” Madam Hooch stated the rules of fair play and then they were off. Hermione took off toward the goals with Draco and Blaise right by her side, when she veered off to the right, she passed the quaffle to Draco who then did a turn and passed it to Blaise, as they neared the goal Hermione came out of nowhere taking the quaffle and scoring it right through the goal before Ronald could even get his bearings. Back and forth they went, zigging…zagging…zooming…in and out with Hermione coming out right at the precise moment needed and scoring. She was already over 100 points and Ronald was getting more and more angry. How dare she make a fool of him? It wasn’t over by a long shot. While Hermione, Blaise and Draco were taking down Ronald, Marcus and Adrian were not letting Gryffindor get anything by them. They sent the Bludgers flying in all directions and had managed to knock two Gryffindor players out. Neville had been doing an excellent job as Keeper holding the Gryffindor team to 20 points. Hermione continued to score points, as that had been Marcus’ ultimate plan of revenge on one, pompous arse, Ronald Weasley. What better way to have him eat his humble pie then to have his arse handed to him by a girl. Hermione was on her way to 200 points when Harry spied the snitch and took off. Within a short two minutes, Harry had captured the snitch! Hermione ended up with 220 points and add Harry’s 150 points for catching the snitch, Slytherin team won by an astounding score of 370 to 20. As team Slytherin began their celebrations, Ron feeling quite put out and furious at being continually shown up by Hermione started after her sending a slicing hex right at her while her back was turned. Harry saw him first and Draco immediately responded blocking the hex then Harry and Draco sent several hexes right back at him hitting him in the chest and legs, knocking him on the ground. Neville and Blaise were right on it as they sent multiple binding spells at him so he couldn’t move. Marcus and Adrian seeing what was happening quickly jumped into action by grabbing Hermione and keeping her safely between them while the other four made an impenetrable wall around them. Severus and Remus followed by the others were on the field before you could count to 5. Lucius and Cissy ran to Hermione making sure she was unharmed. The Grangers arrived shortly after and thanked all of them for protecting her. Maria went with the Grangers to check on Hermione as James joined Remus and Severus. Luna had come running and ran to Hermione hugging her tightly and telling her she was safe and she was there now. Luna looked at Hermione and gave her a huge grin telling her that she was so awesome on the field today and she had kicked some major arse! Hermione had smiled at her best friend even as her body was still shaking from what had just happened. Severus and Remus were furious and it took Albus putting his hands on the boys’ shoulders and whispering to them ‘not here’ for them to get their anger in check. Albus told James to take them over so they could check on Hermione and the boys and he would deal with Mr. Weasley. Minerva joined Albus’ side after she had checked to make sure that Hermione was safe and together they dragged Ron off.

When they arrived at the Headmaster's office, Albus turned to Ronald Weasley with a very stern look on his face, "Mr. Weasley - first off I am very disappointed in you, that you would attack a fellow student when her back was turned.  That you used a hex that could have severely injured her if it was not for the fast action of her friends. I am informing you that you were lucky they only hit you with a stinging hex and that it could have been much worse. I am also informing you that you will be serving detention with Mr. Filch every night until the end of term including weekends. Mr. Weasley...if you ever do anything like that again, you will be permanently removed from the Quidditch team for the rest of your schooling!"

Ron, with his face turning beat red and being his totally obnoxious self declared, "What about Potter and Malfoy! They both hit 'me' with hexes!"

Albus took a deep breath and looking at Ron with a look of pure disbelief at his attitude simply stated, "They would not have had to hex you if you hadn't attacked Miss Granger!"

Ron started to say something else, but Albus yelled, "Enough! Seeing as you are obviously being severely thick head at the moment, let me spell it out for you as plainly as I can. You have now been grounded for the next two Quidditch games on top of your detentions. If you choose to argue with me, I'll make it three and so on until my point is made. I am also informing you that this is your first warning – if you receive 3 more You...will...be...expelled so you best be on your best behavior from this moment forward. I will also be sending home a letter informing your parents of what you did and the punishments that have been handed down. Now...have I made myself clear?"

Ron sneered at Albus, "Perfectly. May I go now?"

"Yes and Mr. Weasley..." Ron turned to look at the Headmaster "Your detention starts tonight at 7. Don't be late. Also...200 points from Gryffindor for endangering a fellow student. That will be all...you are dismissed."

Ron stormed out of the Headmasters office, mumbling to himself that Hermione Granger would pay and pay dearly for this. Little did he know that Missy the Headmasters elf had heard him and immediately pop in to tell Albus what she had just heard Weasley say. Albus thanked the elf, asking her to watch Mr. Weasley and to report anything she heard or saw back to him right away. He asked her to relay the message to all the elves to keep their ears open and watch Mr. Weasley closely. If he was planning anything, he needed to know so he could also protect Hermione. Minerva shook her head totally shocked at what she had just witness. Albus reassured her that they would protect Hermione and he would be calling a meeting of everyone in a short while after he had time to process things himself. 

Back on the Quidditch field, Hermione was still badly shaken and was trembling when Severus and Remus reached her. They checked her to make sure she was okay and not injured. Assuring them that she was just frightened but that the boys had all protected her, Severus and Remus told everyone to meet in their quarters as soon as they could. He told the boys to go clean up and they would see them soon. Everyone walked up the hill and back into the school and down to Severus and Remus’ rooms. Luna walked closely with Hermione with Draco and Harry walking along side, but still on high alert. Draco whispered asking if he could barbecue the weasel and then give him to the Giant Squid for a chew toy. Harry had snickered saying that the squid would probably spit him out, thinking he was disgusting. Draco agreed. They walked the rest of the way quietly, each boy keeping an eye on Hermione.

Once safely inside their rooms, Severus and Remus asked everyone to give them about ten minutes so they could calm Hermione and when the team arrived to have them sit down and they would be with them shortly. Severus then picked up Hermione and carried her into their bedroom with Remus right behind them. Once they were alone, Remus warded the door and they laid her on the bed and both laid down beside her and just held her. The tears that she had been holding back suddenly broke free and she sobbed against her boys. Talking very softly, they worked together to sooth her, telling her she was safe now and no one could hurt her. Once they felt her heartbeat slow down to almost normal, they both took turns kissing her and reassuring her that she was safe and that her protectors had done what they had been trained to do and that she now had six protectors as Marcus and Adrian had jumped right in to protect her when the trouble broke out. After more kisses and tight hugs and some longer kisses, Hermione assured both of them that she was okay now and that she was ready to go out. Severus and Remus, both holding her tight for another minute agreed and the three, holding hands stepped out into the living room. The team had arrived and pretty soon the nasty business of one weasel was forgotten.  

As everyone was talking and laughing, Severus and Remus asked Marcus and Adrian to follow them into the library. Robin and Roland walked in with them. Marcus asked if they were in trouble and Severus quickly told them not at all. Then Severus introduced both boys to Robin and Roland, telling them that these were Hermione's fathers. Marcus had looked at Adrian who had looked back at him. Robin and Roland had laughed and explained to both boys that they were both married to Hermione's mother, Jean. Marcus then commented on that now he understood what Headmaster Dumbledore and Minister Kingsley were talking about at the sorting ceremony. Both men had said, yes. Adrian had then asked, 'so it really does mean that Hermione also has two mates?' Again Robin acknowledge 'yes'. Marcus then looked at both Severus and Remus, and asked, 'You two are Hermione's mates?' Severus had then told both boys that when Hermione was born, that her soul 'sparks' had chosen them as her mates. That it was an honor to be chosen and that it was a learning experience for everyone in the family seeing as they were both 19 years older. Remus had smiled when he told them that they met Hermione when she was four and that they have been able to watch her grow up into the beautiful girl she is. They also told them that only a few people at Hogwarts knew who Hermione's mates were and that they had chosen to entrust them with this information as it would now appear very evident that Ronald Weasel had it out for Hermione. They asked Marcus and Adrian to please keep what they had told them to themselves until the time that it would be made known. Marcus had then looked at Severus with a look of horror and quickly apologized her putting Hermione in danger, he didn't know that Weasley had an issue with her and they had just wanted to teach the braggart a lesson by having Hermione outplay him. Remus right away made sure that Marcus knew that there was no way of knowing that Weasley would react the way that he did. Now that both of them knew, Severus and Remus asked them to be on the lookout if they were around Hermione. They all knew that the Headmaster was dealing with Ronald and they would learn soon what the punishment was.

They all returned to the other room and Severus announced that they would have a victory party in the Slytherin common room after dinner. It was the soundest whomping the Gryffindor team had ever taken and they would enjoy their victory. Albus and Minerva arrived shortly after and asked the children if they would please go either to the library or their rooms for a bit as he needed to speak with the adults. Hermione looked around nervously for Severus and Remus and they both having picked up on her distress went over to her and held her between them. Then they both bent down and reassured her that they need to find out what Weasley's punishment was and they would tell her everything later. Both boys gave her a quick kiss and Hermione knowing that Severus and Remus would never lie to her, went with Luna and the all the boys to the library.  

Once the children were safely in the library, Albus told everyone what had happened with Mr. Weasley. Severus and Remus were furious that he was still thinking of hurting Hermione and that even the threat of being expelled didn't seem to faze the boy. Maybe Draco's crack about feeding Weasley to the Giant Squid wasn't a bad idea. Albus told everyone that he would be meeting with Kingsley and Alastor soon to see if there was something they could help with. It seemed extreme but then in all his years, Albus admit that he had never had a child that was like Ronald Weasley. No regard...no remorse...he didn't feel bad at all that he had cast that slicing hex and if Draco and Harry hadn't deflected it and the other boys stepped in, that Hermione could have been seriously injured especially if the slicing hex had hit her just right. Albus explained that the house elves would be keeping a very tight watch on Mr. Weasley and they were to let him know immediately if he was planning something. Albus then looked at Severus and asked Severus if he got the release from Kingsley would he be willing to use Legilimency on Weasley to track his plans. Severus was one of the top notch Legilimens in the world if not the best. Severus agreed promptly that he would as long as it was approved. It would seem they were going to need to stay one step ahead of Weasley and with Severus and his skills they would be able to even if it meant bending the rules just a wee bit.

Albus invited all the parents to stay for dinner and the Slytherin celebration. Dinner was wonderful and the party for the team went on until midnight. Albus had given Slytherin House special permission to be up past curfew and everyone had a wonderful time. Severus noticed that Hermione was getting tired and Hermione's parents went to Marcus and Adrian and thanked them again for protecting Hermione and invited them to come spend a few days with them over Christmas break. They could try out their Quidditch pitch as it was protected from the elements and they played all year round. Marcus and Adrian having heard about the Granger Pitch were excited and told them they would love to come and they were sure their parents would agree. The group gathered everyone together and Severus picked Hermione up and carried her back to their rooms. The Grangers, Potters and Malfoys left through the floo to the Granger home asking Severus and Remus to please keep them posted on what was happening. It would seem that they would be training more boys to help keep Hermione safe. Severus and Remus had both been approached by several groups of boys from different years, saying that they also wanted to learn so that they could help protect her. Ron Weasley didn't know it yet, but he had just started a war with the wrong house. Slytherin house was totally united with one purpose: Keep Hermione Granger safe at all costs.

As Severus, Hermione and Remus slept wrapped tightly around each other in their protective cocoon...the bands of their bond spun, twirled and danced bending and blending and merging, in and around...circling...completely intertwining with one another and then separating and then starting over and doing it again. The colors of their bands darken and then lightened, strengthening. When they woke in the morning, they would each feel the difference and know that the bond had added another layer of protection, peace and love to what they already shared. Hermione would again feel the power of peace and protection and know she was safe. Severus and Remus would feel the powerful peace surrounding them and know that they would be able to keep her safe and the three together would share in the deeper love that would continued to grow. Yes...the bond knew what they each need and it would continue to provide it as it was needed...always knowing...always growing...always being.


	23. The Yule Ball ~ Holidays 1991

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this chapter took so long...real life really sucks sometimes. Things are looking up and hopefully I am back on schedule :) Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter :)

Headmaster Dumbledore had decided that there would be a Yule Ball right before the Christmas holidays and he made the announcement at breakfast several weeks before the end of term. The Great Hall had erupted in cheers and noisy chattered reign on every table discussing the ball and what they would wear. Hermione sighed and slowly ate her eggs and bacon not wanting to ruin everyone else's happy mood. If Hermione was being honest with herself the last few weeks had been tough ones. She was constantly on edge wondering if Ronald was out there and preparing to catch her off guard. Harry, Draco, Luna, Neville and Blaise were never far from her side. When it was possible, Severus and Remus join them and it had made an impenetrable wall around her, but still it left her unnerved and afraid and that bother Hermione more than anything because she was never afraid, at least she had never been afraid that someone would hurt her. In a mere second, Ronald had changed all that and she was struggling to get back into feeling safe and secure.

Severus and Remus had noticed right away that Hermione was becoming withdrawn and quieter than normal. They suspected that it was because of what Weasley had done but they weren't quite sure how to help her realize that there was no way he would be able to get to her. They would cross hell itself to keep her safe and protected. Albus had assured them that she would come around once she could see and feel that there were many students and teachers that would stand up for her and protect her with their lives. Word had spread quickly through all four houses that Hermione had protectors and that they would not hesitate one bit to protect her at all costs. They would hex first and ask questions later. What had surprised them the most was the outpouring of protective support that came for Hermione. All of Slytherin house, both boys and girls had approached them wanting to be protectors and supporters of Hermione. They had also been approached by many boys and girls from the other houses also wanting to be protectors. The biggest surprise had come from Gryffindor house as many of the boys and girls were absolutely furious at what Ronald had done and wanted to be able to help in any way that they could to keep Hermione safe from him.

The 'Weasel' as Ronald had been nicknamed after his stunt at the Quidditch game, had been on his best behavior lately as his Gryffindor house mates had made it clear that if he even thought of stepping out of line that they would not hesitate to put him back in line even if physical force and hexes were needed. With the whole of Gryffindor literally pissed at him, Ronald thought that at least for awhile he should back off and let things return to the status quo. No sense in stirring the honey pot, yet. There would be plenty of time to work his plan of revenge on, one Hermione Granger. He could be patient. He had to hide his evil grin when the announcement of the Yule Ball had been announced. Yes...he had thought - he could be patient until then.

Over the month of November, Severus and Remus along with Robin, Roland, Lucius, James, John and Scott had worked with the boys and girls from all 4 houses on Saturday afternoons. The word had quietly gone out that anyone wanting to become one of Hermione's protectors to meet at the Quidditch pitch on Saturday at 1. That first Saturday they had over 70 students from the other houses including 25 girls show up to train. Slytherin house was being trained separately as the whole house was prepared to do whatever it took to keep Hermione safe, but many of them also came to help out on Saturday afternoons. Severus and Remus had been humbled and grateful that so many students were rallying behind Hermione. The training they were giving these students would not be as intense as Draco and Harry's training had been, but they would know enough to at least render Ronald incapacitated until others could arrive and take care of him. Neville, Luna and Blaise were being trained as Draco and Harry had been as they had insisted that they were her closest allies and friends and it was important to them that they knew everything they could to keep her protected and safe. The training was going very well and it was proven time and time again in DADA class. Remus was enjoying teaching even more as the students were improving steadily every week. Perish the thought...but if another dark Lord thought of rising to power, he would have his hands full with these kids. Another unexpected surprise was that the students that were training were going back to their houses and training others. Gryffindor house was showing their inner Slytherin as their training was going on right under the nose of one, 'Weasel'.

Jean, Susan, Cissy and Maria came along as John, Scott and Susan were working on becoming animagus' with Minerva. It was going very well for all of them and Minerva had hinted that she would not be surprised if they took their shapes any time now. Seeing Minerva and the others shift into their animagus forms has brought Neville, Luna, Blaise, Marcus and Adriane begging Minerva to teach them. Minerva had smiled along with the others knowing that there was more than one reason that they wanted to become animagus'. They had seen how much fun they all had around the full moon and they were determined to not be left out. With almost a month to go before the Christmas holidays, Minerva had relented and the five Slytherin students were now holding mandrake leaves to the roof of their mouths in anticipation of the first step to finding their forms. Minerva was enjoying immensely watching her secret Slytherin snakes take the journey to finding their forms. She had no doubt that they too would become uncommon animagus and she was excited to see what shape they would take. She also had a sneaking suspicion that these five would be the first of many that would seek her out to teach them.  

The following weeks flew by and now it was only days until the Yule Ball. The previous weekend Hermione's parents along with Severus and Remus had taken Hermione, Luna and all the boys shopping to get their outfits for the Yule Ball. Hermione's gown was a lovely emerald green with a gold sash that had the initials of S and R with little snakes embroidered throughout it. She had looked breathtaking in it. Luna had chosen a midnight blue gown with a silver sash. The girls dresses were almost identical accept for the colors and they were both very excited about the upcoming ball. Draco and Harry were escorting Hermione and so their dress robes reflected that. The boys were wearing black robes with emerald green shirts and as Neville and Blaise were escorting Luna, they had blue shirts to go with their black robes. Severus and Remus would be attending and they were also going to wear the emerald green shirts. Hermione had asked her mum and dads to pick up cuff-links for her two men and when they had returned to the castle, Hermione had given Severus and Remus their present. The cuff-links were silver with the initials of HJG on them. Both, Severus and Remus had been incredibly touched by Hermione's thoughtfulness and they had assured her that they would wear them with pride. Severus and Remus had a surprise for Hermione, too. They had bought her a silver necklace that interwove all of their initials into a Celtic knot. It had brought Hermione to tears.

Over the last few weeks, Remus and Severus had started spending one on one time with Hermione. It had taken her a bit to get use to being with just one of them, but quickly she found that she did enjoy being with each of them separately. Severus loved to take her for walks around the lake pointing out different things and showing her the potion ingredients that he found in the forbidden forest and his special spot that he use to come to when he went to Hogwarts. Hermione was fascinated by everything that Severus showed her and she enjoyed their walks and talks as she called it. When it was Remus' turn he also liked to take her on walks and show her things that he enjoyed when he was a student. It was if Hermione was getting to enjoy a whole new side of each of them and she began to cherish the individual time she spent with each of them. Remus had also taken her to the Shrieking Shack where he had stayed as a student during the full moons. It had made Hermione sad to think that he had to stay there all alone until Severus had finally made the shift into his animagus form and the two boys had become even closer friends. Remus had shared with her that often Minerva the cat would come and stay with him to keep him company. He had explained how Severus had diligently worked on taking his form for the sole purpose of being with Remus. Hermione saw the caring and faithful friend that Severus had become to Remus and it had made her heart flutter even more.  

They were still experimenting on their new found feelings, but Hermione had decided that she wasn't going to worry about it. Her parents had assured her the bond they shared would keep them from going too far and she had faith in Severus and Remus, that with them being older, they would steer and keep things in safe waters. So with her mind made up to just enjoy their new closeness, Hermione found that she really enjoyed the longer kisses and that often during their alone times they would sit and snuggle while talking and often it lead to lovely kisses that would make her whole body tingle.  True to the nature of their bond, things didn't escalate to anything inappropriate and  Hermione was happy and content with how things were progressing. The love she felt for them continued to grow and strengthen, just like she knew it would.

 ** _The Yule Ball:_**      

The day of the ball arrived and everyone was very excited for it. Hermione, Draco and Harry's parents had arrived to help everyone get ready. The women helped the two girls with their hair and dresses and they were a lovely sight to see. Hermione's mum had done her hair in rings of curls that went down her back, just the way Severus and Remus liked it. Cissy worked on Luna's hair giving it a bit of bouncing wave to it. Maria put just the smallest touch of makeup on each girl to bring out their eyes and highlight their beautiful faces. Jean put Hermione's necklace on and it hung right in the center where it shone brilliantly. Hermione put on her bracelet that Severus and Remus had given her back on they met for the very first time. They had continued to give her charms to add to it over the years and it now contained many sweet memories from all their years together. Hermione often thought back on how fortunate she was that she had met Severus and Remus when she was younger. She knew for a fact that some of her cousins that were around her age still didn't know who their mates were and Hermione had felt a little sad for them seeing as she had been able to grow up with hers. That was definitely one advantage to having soul mates that were older as it had given her years to grow with them. They knew her inside and out. It didn't seem surprising at all that her feelings for them were growing deeper as she had known them and been close to them since she was four. She thought quietly wondering how it would be when she had her own children and how she would feel when the sparks left to find the two perfect mates for her own children. It would be six years, yet but she marveled at how fast the last eight years had gone and she knew that these next six years would fly by and then the three of them would seal their bond, say their vows, marry and then the...well...she still had plenty of time to prepare herself for the wedding night. She again returned to her thoughts of the 'soul sparks'. It was still amazing to her that the sparks know...that they are never wrong...they are always right and always perfect. Not that everything ran smoothly all the time because it didn't, but she thought of her parents, who were still madly in love after all these years. Her grandparents, aunts and uncles, even her brothers and sisters. They were all so in love and it radiated off of them every time she saw them. A new feeling of love began to form for her mates and she smiled to herself, knowing that she was so very grateful to have been born into this family.

When everyone was ready the girls made their way out into the sitting room and were laughing when they saw the boys. Luna looked at Hermione and smiled as she giggled and told Hermione that they really had it going on. The parents spent the next half hour taking pictures of the lovely couples and pictures of Severus and Remus with Hermione were also taken. After everyone was satisfied with all the pictures taken and that they were all situated as the other parents were going to stay and visit until the ball was done, Severus and Remus escorted the six students to the ball. As they were going to the Great Hall, Severus and Remus advised both set of boys to be on guard. They hadn't heard any rumblings of Weasley planning anything, but that didn't mean he wasn't and they couldn't afford to let their guard down. Severus and Remus said they would quietly pass the word for members of the protector squad to be on alert. Everyone nodded and they moved into the Great Hall to join the festivities.

Hermione and Luna giggled and pointed at all the decorations and the beautiful fountain up front. The music was softy playing and everyone was talking and laughing. As soon as Hermione had arrived at the Hall, Slytherin house went on the defensive and subtly surrounded Hermione, Draco and Harry. As they made their way further into the Great Hall - the 6th and 7th year boys from the other 3 houses moved into position. The older girls from all four houses also moved in to their positions and in a matter of minutes a protective barrier had formed and no one of unimportance had even detected the subtle and precise movements of the students that had volunteered to keep Hermione safe. Hermione had notice the clever shifts of the students that Severus and Remus had told her about, but she also noticed the ones that had also joined the fight later on. Hermione was overwhelmed at the sight of all the people that respected her and that wanted to help keep her safe. Hermione felt she could breathe a little easier now that she knew and had actually seen it in action, noticing for the first time all the people that cared for her and would make sure that one slimy 'Weasel' couldn't get his revenge.

The ball was wonderful and everything that Hermione thought it would be. The boys kept her busy with dancing and she was having a marvelous time. When she wasn't dancing with Harry and Draco, she was dancing with the other boys from Slytherin house. She was never alone and she was constantly guarded. If Weasley got within 25 feet of her the boys would swoop her away and others would fill in the gap so that Ronald couldn't get any closer to her. Everyone was having a great time and as the time approached the end and the last dance, the team watched to see if Ron would make his move. Sure enough as they announced the last dance for the evening, Ronald moved to intercept Hermione, he had almost reached her when Severus and Remus jumped in and took her to the dance floor. Just as the three of them had done for years they danced in perfect harmony around the floor and before long everyone had stopped to watch the graceful dance that they were performing. While everyone was entranced with how they flowed together as if they were one and were distracted, Slytherin house and the others made their move surrounded Ronald. Before he knew what was happening they let him know he was not to get any closer to Hermione or they would make sure he regretted it. Ronald had sneered at them, but turned and walked away. Several boys including Fred and George chose that moment to escort Ronald back to Gryffindor house so that he couldn't cause any trouble. With Ronald taken care of Hermione's squad of protectors relaxed and enjoyed the final moments of the dance. Hermione was safe...they had kept Ronald from getting to her and they felt confident that they had passed their first test with flying colors. As the song came to an end, everyone cheered for their Potion Master, their DADA Master and their Hermione. Hermione had a smile on that went ear to ear and it was all worth it. As they all left the great hall to head back to their rooms, Severus and Remus herded everyone into the Slytherin Common Room where they expressed their sincere gratitude for everyone's help in keeping Hermione safe. They asked the older boys and girls to make sure they relayed the message to the other houses and that they would do their best to thank each of them themselves. Once that was done and Severus release them to their dorms, our six followed Severus and Remus to their rooms. Albus had announced earlier that he had received permission for Neville, Luna and Blaise to have their quarters moved to Severus and Remus' rooms starting next quarter. The six friends had been ecstatic that they would all be rooming together especially seeing as they spent most waking hours together anyways.

As Hermione climbed into bed with Severus and Remus, she sighed a contented sigh and thank each of them with a very passionate kiss, thanking them for a wonderful evening, for working with everyone to help keep her safe and for the last dance that she would cherish forever and telling them just how much she loved them. Both boys had gently taken her face in their hands and kissed her back telling her just how beautiful she was, how blessed they were that she was theirs and how much they loved her. As the three drifted off to sleep a heavy peace settled over them, surrounding them in the love that they shared together.

 ** _Holidays ~ 1991:_**   

The holidays arrived with all kinds of exciting things happening. The kids had decided to just floo home instead of riding the train. Mainly because after the last week they just wanted to get home and well...honestly stepping into the floo and arriving seconds later at the Grangers sounded a whole lot better than riding the train for hours only to arrive at the station and then be apparated straight to the Grangers. It was even more exciting when Draco, Harry and Hermione found out the Neville, Blaise and Luna were also flooing to the Grangers. They had spent the last few hours after the train had left moving everything to their new rooms in Severus and Remus' quarters. The six kids were beyond excited to be sharing rooms with each other. Double checking to make sure they had everything they needed to go home for the holidays, they pared in twos and made their way to the Grangers for Christmas.

Upon arriving they were met by everyone's parents. Luna introduced Hermione to her father and Neville introduced her to his parents and Blaise introduced his mum. Hermione was very excited to met everyone and of course, she ran over to give Lucius and Cissy a hug and kiss and turned around and ran to James and Maria to give them hugs and kisses, too. Last but not at all least, Hermione ran to her mum and dads to give them the biggest hugs and kisses. They all settled in to enjoy the holidays together. The Grangers had invited everyone to stay for dinner and it was a roaring good time had by all. The Longbottoms were happy to see Severus and Remus again as it had been way to long since they had gotten together. Blaise's mum and Luna's dad hit it off and the two of them were chatting happily. Hermione had managed to get Severus and Remus alone so she could give each of them a hug and kiss. Severus and Remus immediately picked up on the change in Hermione as her protective walls came down and she could truly relax without worrying what Ronald Weasley was up to. They would have to have an adult talk once the kids went to bed to see what else they could do to ease Hermione's fears of being attacked again. Even with all the safety precautions they had taken to insure that she was safe, they weren't foolish enough to think that Ronald wouldn't try something again. They would have to stay diligent and watchful, but they also didn't want Hermione to worry.

Once everyone had left to go to their own homes the Grangers released Hermione and her boys so they could go spend some much needed two on one time together. They had spent some time after the others had left discussing the plans for the break. They were going shopping tomorrow with the Potters and Malfoys and going to see a movie afterwards. Then they were coming back here to have their own special Christmas Eve before the real thing. The three families had become very close and it wasn't uncommon to see Jean, Cissy and Maria shopping together. Now that they all lived close to each other it was easier to do things together. Lucius and James had become very close to Robin and Roland as well and as neither had a father - Robin and Roland had become surrogate fathers to them as well. With 8 children of their own and multiple brothers and sisters-in-laws with their children, Robin and Roland had always felt the more the merrier and bring them all in. This year would be the first Christmas that Lucius and James were spending in their new homes and so the Grangers wanted to make it extra special. They had invited the Malfoys and Potters to spend Christmas Eve with their family and the traditional Granger Christmas Eve celebration. To say that Lucius and family and James and his family weren't excited was an understatement. They both had to listen to Severus and Remus talk about the grand Christmas Eve celebration for years and if they were honest, they both had been just a tad jealous of the closeness that Severus and Remus shared with the Grangers. That was no more as now all of them were one big happy extended family. Lucius and James were also secretly hoping to share in the Granger family matching pajama party. Happiness was spreading all around and it was only the beginning.

The next day passed quickly with lots of laughter and a fun time was had by all. They passed the evening quietly together just enjoying each other's presence and just being grateful for the friendships and family they now all shared. Before the evening ended, James and Maria made their big announcement that Maria was pregnant and expecting a baby next summer. Harry was over the moon at the thought of having a little brother or sister and of course, Jean and Cissy were making a fuss over Maria and asking her how she could keep such a big, wonderful secret from them. James and Maria joined in the laughter and celebration saying that they found out two days ago, even though they suspected it for a few weeks now. Another baby was joining the family and everyone was so excited and couldn't wait to go into baby planning mode. Hermione sat and watched the joyous occasion again slipping into wondering what it would be like when it was her, Severus and Remus announcing that they were expecting. Hermione wasn't sure why she was thinking of babies, but she didn't care. It was a given that she would be expecting twins and she would have them after they consummated their marriage. It was just how the soul bond they shared worked. Her sisters and brothers all got pregnant on their wedding nights and they all had twins. At least, she knew what to expect. She focused and watched the happy expectant couple and was so very happy that it had happened for them. Unknown to Hermione, Severus and Remus had been watching her intently and had given each other the look that said, 'we need to ask her what she is thinking later'. They had sensed that something was going on in her thinking and they would find out what it was. Plans were made for tomorrow and everyone left for their own homes. Cissy and Maria promised to be over early to help Jean prepare the feast for her huge family.

As Severus and Remus snuggled into Hermione later that night and each had given her several wonderful, long kisses - they asked her what she had been thinking shortly after James and Maria had announced they were having a baby. Hermione had smiled shyly at them and then told them that the last few weeks she had been thinking about when they would be having a baby and wondering about who the 'sparks' would choose for their children and that she had felt bad that some of her cousins didn't know who their soul mates were yet and how fortunate and bless she was because she had - had her soul mates since she was four. That she knew she would get pregnant right away and they would have twins first. She went on to tell them that it both excited and scared her but she knew that they would both be gentle and loving when that time came. That and the fact the soul bond they shared was so powerful and that she loved knowing that the love they had for each other would continue to grow as they aged. She also shared with them how happy it made her to see her parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles so much in love...still after all these years. It was truly a gift and she was so grateful that she had been born into this family. Severus and Remus had just looked at each other, neither one knowing what to say after that. Hermione had always been a deep thinker, but this amazed them that even at this age, she was thinking of what was to come and looking forward to it. They were both thinking the same thing and that was that they were grateful that she had been born into this family and that her 'soul sparks' had found them worthy and blessed them with her and her love. Both men squeezed her and kissed her with all the love they could possibly pour out in a kiss. Then the three of them snuggled in tight and went to sleep dreaming of love, soul bonds, peace and Christmas day. They only had one more sleep until Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve day came with a winter storm. The forecast had been calling for snow for several days but it had neglected to forecast wind and freezing rain before the foot or more of snow that would fall over the next 24 hours. No matter as the Grangers had the floo now and all their children were connected as well as the Malfoys and Potters. So even with the winter wonderland growing outside the Grangers home was warm and very full of people. Hermione's brothers and sisters were excited that Lucius, Cissy and family and James and Maria with Harry were experiencing their very first Granger Christmas Eve celebration. The party went on for hours with no one the least bit concerned with the snow piling up outside. The highlight of the night was when the Malfoy family was presented with their Christmas pajamas complete with Lions and Tigers with holly and the Potter family presented with their Deer and Lynx with bells jammies. Lucius had laughed for several minutes at the deer on James pajama top that looked very much like his animagus form with tiny bells on all the huge antlers. Maria had quietly snickered while admiring her top with her Lynx form on it. Harry and Draco were just too excited to be included and had run up and given Jean a huge hug and kiss with a big thank you. This year the future Lupin-Snape family had received jammies that had snowmen that looked like wolves running all over them. Severus and Remus just smiled, grabbed Hermione and headed upstairs to put theirs on before anyone else. As the evening quieted down and all that remained were the Grangers with Severus and Remus, the Malfoys and Potters everyone agreed that this was one of the best Christmas' yet and toasts were made to growing families and friendships that would stand the test of time. Everyone was grateful for each other and were excited to see what the new year brought them. As Severus, Hermione and Remus settled in for the night, Hermione told them that they were the greatest gift she had been given and she was so grateful that the 'sparks' had chosen them just for her.  

Christmas came and went and soon Marcus and Adrian were arriving to spend a few days with everyone and play some Quidditch on the Granger Pitch. Neville, Blaise and Luna had arrived the day before and were ready to get some Quidditch practice in. To say they were impressed would be an understatement. Everyone had a great time and Jean's family came over to give the kids a run for their money. The kids showed everyone why they were the team to beat as they handled everyone they came up against. They even went up against Robin, Roland, Lucius, James, John, Severus and Remus and eventually came out on top. It was a hard fought game but the Slytherin team prevailed to keep their unbeaten streak alive. Marcus and Adrian had an awesome time with everyone and couldn't wait to come back again and play some more. They also enjoyed meeting Hermione's family and just spending quiet time without having to look over their shoulders. Severus and Remus along with John and Scott took the boys out one afternoon and taught them some of the harder to learn spell and charm combinations that would effectively stop one, Ronald the Weasel in his tracks. They caught on quickly to the different combinations and they practiced trying different things. Severus and Remus assured them that they would continue once back at school. Marcus and Adrian thanked the Grangers for letting them come and Jean told them they would look forward to having them come back over the summer. As the boys said their goodbyes and headed home, our crew also prepared for the return trip to Hogwarts. Hermione wasn't sure she wanted to ride the train back, she just didn't trust Ronald not to try anything. It was decided that they would just floo back to Hogwarts this time when Severus and Remus headed back two days from now. Severus and Remus didn't mention it when Hermione was around, but when she had gone to take her bath, both men mentioned that they had a very uneasy feeling about letting Hermione ride the train and they both felt that she needed to not be on the train when it returned to Hogwarts.  

As is usually the case when one follows their gut, it had been the right choice to not put Hermione on the train. Ronald had plan to intercept her and get her alone in one of the back cars before anyone knew she was missing. He would deal with her and she would be damaged goods, soul mates or not he didn't care. She would be his if it was the last thing he did. He had his plan all ready and he embarked on the train and hid in the back car. He remembered the car she had been in on the first trip to Hogwarts and he figured she would again go to that car and he would be waiting for her. What Ronald didn't account for was the fact that a dozen plus members of Hermione's protection squad had seen Ronald disappear into the back car and were patiently waiting for him to make his move. It didn't take long after the train left the station for Ronald to get himself into a big uproar over the fact that he couldn't find her. He made the mistake of mouthing off and threatening several of the older students and he was immediately placed under several spells, hexes and charms and immobilized for the entire journey back to Hogwarts. Upon arrival the students took the bound Weasel straight to the Headmaster who gave him his second warning and 5 more months of detention. After he left he sent word to Severus and Remus that he need to speak with them immediately before dinner. The boys that had taken care of Ronald on the train came to the room as Severus and Remus were leaving and the boys told them that they would escort everyone to the Great Hall for dinner. Severus and Remus knew something had happened but they trusted the boys to get her and the others safely to the hall. Surrounded by her four main protectors, her best friend and many more other protectors, Hermione made her way to the Great Hall unaware of the disrupted plan of Ronald Weasel and the severe punishment he had been given. Hermione just enjoyed being back at Hogwarts and was looking forward to this new term. She looked up as Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Severus and Remus arrived at the head table and silently wondered if something had happened. Watching Severus and Remus closely, she immediately knew something was wrong as both of their jaws were tight and it looked like they wanted the hex something. They both turned and looked at her and forced a smile, knowing that from the look on her face, she already knew something was wrong. As she continued to look at both of them, they mouthed 'later' and 'I love you'. Draco and Harry sensing something had happened began to look around, checking the perimeter to insure Hermione's safety and their eyes fell on one very pissed off, Ronald...the Weasel. They silently gave each other the look that said, 'Yep...he tried something on the train'.

Later that evening after things settled down, Severus and Remus took the six into the library and sat them down telling them what Ronald had done on the train, his new punishment of 5 months worth of detention and another warning. Kingsley and Mad-Eye would be coming to Hogwarts tomorrow to supervise Severus when he did Legilimency on Ronald to see what he had planned to do to Hermione. Ronald Weasley was going to be one sorry boy when Severus got done with him because Severus had no intention of playing nice when he searched Ronald's mind for the answers. It was going to be a long day, but hopefully they would have the answers to stop this once and for all.

As they settled in to bed and sleep finally took all three of them, the bands of their bonds grew and wrapped around each other, but instead of breaking apart like they usually did, they intensified and grew stronger together as one, circling each other while intertwining. The three separate bands became one...something that didn't usually happen until the bond was sealed. This joining of the bands would make them stronger, it would strengthen the protection around her and would bring much needed peace to their souls. In time nothing would be able to separate them. As Hermione slept, she dreamed of a black hair, dark eyed baby boy and a light brown, curly haired little girl with green eyes and as she continued to dream...she smiled knowing they would all be alright and as the peace settled deep within her soul, it also settled deep within the souls of her two chosen mates, who were at that very same moment also dreaming of the same little boy and girl.


	24. Dealing with a 'Weasel' ~ Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long with this chapter...it wasn't playing nice and then I went in a totally different direction. Plus it's summer and I haven't had a lot of free writing time. This chapter got out of hand and so I had to split it up. I hope to have the next chapter up this weekend - keep your fingers cross that it continues to flow. Thanks to everyone for the lovely comments and kudos...you guys are the best! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Severus was having a dreadful time trying to sleep, his tossing and turning and over all restlessness was going to wake the others up soon if he didn't get a hold of the emotions running through him. He knew it needed to be done, but for the first time in his life he almost wished that it didn't have to be him to do it. Then he would do a 360 degree turn in his thinking and change his mind, knowing that he needed to be the one to confront Weasley and find out what he was planning on doing to Hermione. He had known fear before when dealing with an abusive father and then dealing with Voldemort, but this...this was going to test him to the very limits. This was about the young woman that would become his wife in 6 short years...this was about the woman that he would rather die than spend the rest of his life without her...this was about the woman that would carry his and Remus' children and be their mum, the children that he had seen so vividly in his dreams just a few hours ago. A little boy that looked so much like him only with Hermione's petite little nose and a little girl that was the spitting image of Remus and Hermione combined with beautiful green eyes and a head of light brown curls. Their children...their beautiful children and the thought of losing Hermione and never having those beautiful children tore through his soul until he almost couldn't breathe.

It was then that Severus realized that Hermione had rolled on top of him and as he opened his eyes, her beautiful brown eyes were staring back at him. She smiled and the leaned down and kissed him and then kissed him again, softly reassuring him that she was safe with them and that she knew that after he did what he needed to do that the problem with a certain 'weasel' would be taken care of. She trusted him and Remus completely. Severus wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed her for a long time. When they broke apart Hermione had given him the most amazing smile and told him that his kiss was one of the best yet and could she please have another. Severus had softly chuckled and kissed her again. As he laid there holding her on top of him and just listening to her heart beat with his, for the first time he thought of what it would be like when he finally was able to make love to her and be completely one with her. Surprised at the depth of that feeling and for thinking it in the first place, he quickly shoved that thought away to be dealt with at a later time. He gently shifted Hermione to their sides still holding her close to him. It was then that Severus notice that Remus had been watching the whole thing and once they were on their sides, Remus had moved into snuggle Hermione from the back. Both boys proceeded to shower her with love and affection until the three again entered sleep together, their hearts beating as one.

The morning came sooner than any of them wanted, but they had decided to stay in bed for a few extra minutes and just snuggle and hold Hermione. She had relished the attention her boys had given her last night and wanted more before they had to leave and meet with Headmaster Dumbledore. Neither of them had said much last night other than Kingsley and Alastor would be coming this morning to help deal with the problem of Ronald Bilius Weasley. It hadn't soothe her when they had told her that not only her parents, but Ronald's parents would be attending. Minerva and Irma would also be there and Severus had arranged for a handful of Slytherin and other students to be in their rooms to offer support to Hermione. Luna would be her shield along with several of the other girls from the different houses that she had become close to. Draco, Harry, Neville, Blaise, Marcus and Adrian would all be there to comfort and help her deal with any anxiety that might come up as they waited to hear what would be done with Ronald.

Hermione was having trouble rectifying her thoughts being that despite all the warnings, Ronald was still intent on hurting her and that had chilled her to her very core and even with the love and attention of her soul mates last night, she still could not shake the feeling that she was in very grave danger and that he planned to hurt her and possibly even kill her. She shivered at the thought, which she then found herself being tightly squeezed by the two men who would protect her with their very lives if need be. As the three continued to hold each other, comforted by just the closeness that they were sharing, Hermione wondered if they had dreamed of anything last night and gathering her courage she decided to ask them.

“Did either of you dream anything unusual last night?” Hermione quietly asked

Severus and Remus looked at each other and then glanced lovingly back down at Hermione and while smiling.

Severus grinned at her “Like a baby boy with black hair and black eyes with a cute button nose like yours.”

Remus had added, “and a baby girl with light brown hair with tons of curls and green eyes like mine'.

Hermione giggled and laughed while hugging them tight “'You both had the same dream that I had.”

Severus smirked as he laughed, “Obviously!”

Remus laughed as well as they continued to snuggle Hermione and give her the reassurance that all would be well. As they laid there, they reflected back on the moment that this had all started when both of them had awoke at the same time having dreamed the same thing of a baby girl with brown hair. They wondered if somehow the bond they shared knew when they need a little extra something to help them along when things got tough. As Hermione laid there in their bed snuggling them, she looked at them with so much love in her heart that it again took their breath away. She was everything to them and they vowed secretly to themselves that they would not lose her to a pompous, jerk like Ronald Weasley. No this ended and it ended today, one way or another.

Severus and Remus suspected that this day would test them to their very limits and they were going to have to lean on each other and the strength of their family to deal with what was to come. They were confident that a solution could be found and they all had the support of so many people that they knew they could handle this together. They were even more grateful now for the people that had entered their lives over the last eight years and for the parental support and love they had found with first Irma and now the Grangers and their immediate families. No…they wouldn’t be alone in this. The entire Granger family would be in their corner and would give them the support they needed. With those thoughts firmly fixed in their minds, the three of them got up to start what would be a very trying and long day. They gave Hermione more kisses and she seemed to relax in the comfort that they always seemed to know when she needed them to give her their affections.

Around 10 o'clock the floo activated alerting everyone to the arrival of Hermione's parents. Once they were through the floo and into the room, the floo activated again startling Severus and Remus as they were only expecting the Grangers. As they turned to see who it was, Lucius with Cissy and Cassie arrived and as they moved out of the way, James and Maria arrived. Lucius and James came over to Severus and Remus and informed them 'that there was no way in hell they were going to let them go through this ordeal alone'. Robin and Roland came over and wrapped both boys in a hug, holding them tight and letting them know with their presence that they would all get through this as a family.

The four men pulled Severus and Remus into their library so they could talk privately before they set off for the Headmaster’s office.

Robin spoke first, “Okay…I want the truth out of both of you. How are you feeling? I don’t want you telling me what you think I want to hear ~ I want to know exactly how you are feeling and I’ll know if you aren’t telling the truth.”

Remus and Severus both laughed as Robin and Roland had figured them both out.

Remus spoke first, “I’m really nervous, but also really pissed off! I just can’t understand why an almost 12 year old boy thinks that he can terrorize Hermione. Even after he has been severely punished for his actions. It is beyond my logical thinking. His obsession is beyond obsessive and if he isn’t stopped my fear is that he could hurt or even kill Hermione. I can’t even think about that, because it would be more than I could physically handle and I would not be responsible for my actions. If he were to harm her or Merlin forbid – kill her, I would not think twice about doing bodily harm to him in a most painful way. He would not live to see another day and it scares me that I would be capable of that and consequences be damned. Moony would not hesitate to rip him to shreds.”

By the time Remus had finished, he was visibly shaken and Roland immediately went and embraced him in a fatherly hug and just held on as Remus allowed the tears and sobs to overtake him. After a few minutes, Remus pulled backed and assured them that he was okay now and that he just needed to get it all out so that he could deal with what was to come.

Severus had watched quietly as Remus had unloaded what he was feeling and then Robin turned to back to him and softly asked, “Okay…now I want to know how you are feeling, because you are going to have to be the one that enters his mind and you are going to be the first one to see what that idiot child was planning to do to our Hermione. Please…Severus, I know you keep everything bottled up inside, but you must let us in. Only then can we help you and give you the support you are going to need to get through this.”

Severus took several minutes to gather his thoughts and then looking at all of them began, “This is not easy for me as you all know. You have all been around me long enough to know this. Like Remus, I’m feeling a wide range of emotions from being scared not only for Hermione, but also for Remus and myself. I would be absolutely devastated if Ronald were to harm Hermione. She means everything to me and also to Remus. Then I’m angry and full of rage, so much so that I would not stop and think, I would do pretty much do what Remus said and Ronald would not make it out of a confrontation alive. I wouldn’t hesitate to hurt or kill him especially if he were to harm or kill Hermione, which scares me, too. I’m not usually that way…at least not since we had to fight Voldemort and put our lives on the line to do it. The pain of even thinking of losing Hermione goes deep into my very soul and it is just a bone crushing, searing, painful sensation that I do not wish to ever feel it. She is my everything, my whole world and last night Remus, Hermione and I were given a beautiful gift from our bond.”

Roland and Robin looked at each other with a grin. Roland asked quickly, “What did the bond show you?”

Severus smiled, “A baby boy with black hair and black eyes with a cute button nose like Hermione’s.”

Remus added, “and a baby girl with light brown hair with tons of curls and green eyes like mine.”

Severus continued, “I can’t imagine not having Hermione or those babies. The thought of it is more than I can handle. It shakes me to my core and I’m sure that I can speak for Remus on this as I know he feels the same way. Then I fight with the feeling of incredulity that we even have to deal with something like this. I wonder what on earth is wrong with this boy that he thinks that it is even a smidgen of a bit acceptable to terrorize another student to the point where Hermione wants to be here, but not out there. She shouldn’t be put in a position of being afraid to even walk down the hallways alone, because she is fearful that Ronald will jump out and harm her. It is just beyond me and it fries my ass that even after all those detentions when he tried to hex her that he is still intent on harming her. I just don’t understand it and it frustrates me that I feel so freaking powerless over it all. I just want it to be over with so Hermione can feel safe and not worried. Even though she doesn’t say much out loud, I know this is really bothering her. She is thankful for her protectors…for all of them and she has said more than once that she is surprised at the amount of protection she receives. She is truly humbled by it. I understand she needs to have protectors, but it bothers me that she ‘has’ to have them because Ronald doesn’t understand the word ‘NO’! I honestly just want to punch him upside his head and I know I shouldn’t feel that way.”

Severus sat down putting his head in his hands as he tried desperately to get his raging emotions under control. Robin silently sat down beside him and wrapped him in his strong arms and Severus let his walls down and just let Robin hold him as he released the flood of emotions that he had been holding in for way to long. After a short time, Severus released Robin and stood.

Robin spoke, “This will test your endurance in ways that have not been tested before. We all go through tests, we come out the other side and we are stronger for it. Even though there are so many uncertainties at this very moment, by the time we are done today – both of you will be stronger for it. I know it doesn’t seem that way right now, but trust me – you both will gain a deeper perspective of things and will be better prepared down the road to conquer whatever else tries to come at you. I have the utmost confidence in both of you – that in this place of darkness, the light needed to defeat the darkness will shine through. We believe in both of you and have since the day you both stepped into our lives all those years ago. The bond is strengthening, it is already stronger than what we have seen previously in our other children. We have always suspected that the bond knows what each trio-couple needs and grows accordingly. It senses what is needed and provides it. Don’t fight it…let it flow through the two of you into Hermione…it will comfort where comfort is needed…it will solidify when it is needed…you just need to trust that it will always be there when you need it. It has never let us down and it won’t let you down either and neither will we.”

Robin pointed at the other three men standing with them, watching and listening as Robin spoke words of comfort and strength that both, Severus and Remus needed to hear.

Lucius and James approached both men and putting their hands on their shoulders confirmed that they would be there until the very end and would do everything in their power to make sure that the proper steps were taken to help keep Hermione safe.  

A few minutes later, the six men walked out into the outer room and into an organized chaos if there was ever such a thing. The room was full of students, teachers and in the mist of it all was John, Scott and Susan who had arrived to keep an eye on the students and Hermione. Filius arrived to help out while they were gone and thought the kids would enjoy learning some fun charms along with whatever else they wanted to do. Severus and Remus pulled Hermione aside to reassure her that all would end well and that she was totally and completely safe in their little haven. As they prepared to leave, Severus and Remus both held her tightly and kissed her, telling her how much they loved her and that they would gladly give their lives to save hers, but also saying that it would not come to that. Hermione gave them a small smile and released them so that they could go and get this over with. Luna came up beside her and hugged her telling Severus and Remus that she would make sure Hermione was kept occupied so she didn’t worry too much. Once they were certain that everything was under control with the adults and students, the group headed out to the Headmaster’s office and the confrontation of Ronald Weasley.  

Severus and Remus lead the way, following closely behind them were Robin, Roland and Jean – Minerva and Irma followed next with James and Lucius bringing up the rear. As they made their way into Albus’ office, they were greeted by Albus, Kingsley and Alastor. Molly and Arthur Weasley were off to the side, Severus didn’t miss the glaring look of disgust that appeared on Molly’s face. Ignoring it and her, Severus returned his focus to Kingsley who was explaining what the process would be once Ronald arrived. He was being escorted by Aurors Proudfoot and Savage and they would be arriving soon. Due to the nature of the threat and the fact that he was still eleven, they would need to proceed carefully and do everything by the books so that there would be no chance of the evidence being compromised. Kingsley reiterated that the bottom line and main purpose of this investigation is to ensure the safety of Hermione and that she could attend Hogwarts without the threat of being attacked.

Kingsley then turned to address Molly and Arthur, “Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, you have been summoned today because your son, Ronald Bilius Weasley has once again shown ill intent to harm a fellow student, Hermione Jean Granger. He just finished several months’ worth of detention due to the deliberate attack on Hermione, which could have result in her death. Ronald has shown no remorse for his attack on Miss Granger and now there has been another incident on the Hogwarts Express as it was returning students for this term. Miss Granger was not on board when the incident happen and Ronald was intercepted by several students as he attempted to attack them in his frustration of not being able to trap Miss Granger. Ronald has also blatantly refused to except that Miss Granger is soul bound to her two soul mates and has repeatedly express his desire, “to have her regardless of any soul mates, also stating that she will be mine”. As you know, soul bonds are the most sacred of bonds and to attempt to destroy one does not end well for the person trying to destroy the bond. Ronald has been repeatedly talked to by not only Headmaster Dumbledore, but several other professors as they have tried to reason with him on the repercussions of attempting to destroy a known soul bond. He has vehemently refused to accept that Miss Granger is not available to court and that her chosen mates were chosen on the day the she was born. It has been decided after this latest attempt on Miss Granger that we will use Severus and his legilimency to get to the root of Mr. Ronald Weasley’s intentions to Miss Granger. Severus will use his skills and we will determine the next course of action. If we find that he has indeed determined to harm, damage or worse – take her life, he will be immediately put under arrest and taken away until a hearing can be conducted to decide what should be done with him. His obsession with Miss Granger is not healthy for him and it definitely is effecting her. If it was not for the fact that Miss Granger has many protectors that watch out for her, the outcome at the Quidditch game could have been much worse. I will not stand by and allow an eleven year old boy to terrorize a 12 year old girl to the point where she is afraid to go anywhere without her protectors. Now do you have any questions before we bring Mr. Weasley in and begin?”

Molly screeched at Kingsley, “You can’t be serious!! He’s only a boy! I’m sure he didn’t mean to do it. How do you know that ‘she’ didn’t provoke him! This is ridiculous, I won’t stand by while you harass my son! You can’t make me!”

Kingsley face turned red as he spoke, “Enough!! Your son cast a slicing hex at Miss Granger’s back, if it were not for Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy, who deflected the hex – Miss Granger would have been sliced in two. It was a vindictive move and deliberately done. He is a wizard and well aware of his power regardless of his age. He is now a severe threat to Miss Granger’s well-being and I refuse to wait until your son has managed to do something unspeakable to her to take care of this matter. Your son will undergo legilimency and we will know what his intentions are and then I will decide his punishment and what is going to happen next. Do I make myself clear, Mrs. Weasley? I will also warn you right now, another outburst like that one and you will be physically removed from my presence until we are done. Then and only then will you be allowed back in to view the memories of your son and to witness his sentence. Now, Arthur do you have anything you would like to ask?”

Arthur took a deep breath, “Will you allow him to get the help he needs to get better? He’s always been head strong, thinking that he can have whatever he wants regardless of the cost or who he has to push out of the way to get it. I never thought that he would go after a student and I definitely didn’t think that he would ignore all the warnings given and still continue on like he has. Severus, Remus…I am deeply sorry for the pain this is causing you and I can’t even begin to imagine the fear and terror that Hermione must be going through. I just want you to know that no matter what you discover, I will stand behind whatever decision is determined to be the best, even if that means Ronald will be locked up for a while. I truly hope this is all a misunderstanding, but in my gut I am already dreading what you are going to find. You are right about one thing, Kingsley…it must be dealt with now, before he does something that we can’t fix. It’s time he is made to be responsible for his actions.”

Kingsley walked over to Arthur and looking at both of them simply said, “We will do what needs to be done. If it is serious, then he will need to go in front of the Wizengamot and they will decide his sentence. I hope it won’t come to that, but you must prepare yourselves for that. Just the fact that he won’t listen to anyone and continues to plot to harm Miss Granger is something we cannot afford to overlook. We made that mistake with Voldemort and look where that got us. I refuse to ignore warning signs and Ronald and his actions are a big red flashing warning light right now. We will make sure he gets the help he needs, but if he refuses to cooperate then oblivation may be our only recourse in the matter.”

“You’re going to wipe his mind!!” Molly screamed

Kingsley calmly replied, “His memory will be wiped of any and all connections to Miss Granger. He will have no memory of her or his intentions of what he wanted to do to her. That is a last resort, though. I am hopeful that he will be able to be rehabilitated and a memory wipe won’t be needed, but make no mistake that if he refuses to change I will wipe his mind in a heartbeat.”

Kingsley looked around the room and asked if any of the others had any questions. Severus and Remus and their support group were satisfied with what Kingsley had said. Kingsley then approached Severus, reaching out his hand he placed it on his shoulder asking, “Are you ready for this Severus?”

Severus looked at him nodding, “As ready as one can be when I’m about to see firsthand what Mr. Weasley had in store for Hermione. What information do you wish for me to gather?”

Kingsley lifted his head toward the ceiling for a moment before returning his eyes to Severus, “We need to know exactly what he planned to do in great detail if needed. I know this isn’t going to be easy for you especially if it’s bad, but you are the best and I know you would never allow someone else to do this. I know you would want it to be you no matter how hard it is.”

Severus nodded his head, yes. Taking a deep breath, he turned to his family. Jean approached him first and whispering in his ear, she simply said “Get what you need and get out as fast as you can. We are here for you and we’ll help pick up the pieces afterward. You can do this, Severus! I believe in you…Robin and Roland believe in you…your friends believe in you and most importantly…Remus and Hermione believe in you. We do this together as one! I love you, Severus just as much as if I had given birth to you myself. Draw into that love…dig in deep to the bond that you three share. You will succeed and then we can put this all behind us and move on. You are stronger than you think and so brave. We stand united together by your side.”

Robin and Roland grabbed him and hugged him also reassuring him just as Jean had done that he was as much their son as their own children were. That they loved him and Remus and that soon this mess would be over and done. Irma kissed him with tears in her eyes telling him how proud she was of him and that she would stand beside him and support him no matter what happened. They would get through this as a family. Lucius and James wrapped him in their arms telling Severus that he would do what he had to do and it would all work out. They were right there with him and if he needed them they would be there in a split second…no matter what - they were there until the very end. Minerva and Albus reiterated what everyone else had said and assured Severus and Remus that they would make sure that things were dealt with as they should be.

Remus then pulled Severus in for a tight hug. Both men just stood there for a moment holding each other close as they both fought to contain the emotions that were overwhelming them both. Just when they thought they couldn’t love Hermione any more than they already did…the bond shifted and they were both filled with more love for her and then an overwhelming peace settled over both of them and they both knew that in their darkest hour the bond had again come through to give them the strength they needed to move forward and do what they needed to do. As they broke apart, Severus and Remus looked over to Hermione’s parents and the three smiled and nodded their heads. They had felt it, too. The unmistakable presence of their bond strengthening to give the boys everything they were going to need.

Severus walked over to Kingsley, Albus and Alastor telling them that he was ready. Albus motioned and Aurors Proudfoot and Savage entered with a bound and extremely pissed off Ronald Weasley.

Weasley spit at them while yelling, “You have no right to do this to me. I didn’t do anything and you can’t prove it. You better let me go or I’ll make sure you pay for this!!”  

Kingsley motioned for them to place Ronald in the special chair that would hold him and allow Severus to do what he had to do. The minute Ronald hit the chair, he was frozen so he couldn’t move or speak. The pensive was brought out into the room so it was ready when Severus had the memories that would convict Ronald of the crime that he was planning to commit. In the wizarding world – the plotting of the crime was considered just as damaging as actually doing the crime. The moment of truth was approaching quickly.

Severus took a deep breath and then he settled in the chair directly across from Ronald. I brief look of fear crossed Ronald’s face as Severus looked at him, his dark eyes growing darker.

“So…Mr. Weasley – Are you comfortable?” Severus sneered, “I sincerely hope not.”

Kingsley then began, “You have been given your rights and you have forfeited those rights by actions determined to be harmful and detrimental to another human being. Therefore, it has been determined that your memories will held as witness against you in a case of law before the Wizengamot. If evidence is found that shows you intended to do bodily harm or cause the death of Miss Hermione Jean Granger, you will be arrested and held until it is decided on what course of action will be taken to ensure Miss Granger’s safety and well-being. Let it be noted that all persons in this room are called upon to be witnesses to these proceedings and will each have an opportunity to witness the memories that Professor Snape retrieves from your mind. If at any time you attempt to interfere with this inquiry you will be held in contempt and will be physically forced to endure the remainder of the session." Taking a step back and turning toward Severus...Kingsley spoke, "Severus, are you ready to begin?”

Severus took a deep breath and nodding to Kingsley, “Let’s get started.”

With that Severus entered the mind of Ronald Weasley…

 


	25. Dealing with a 'Weasel' ~ Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A small warning dear readers...due to the fact that Ronald was going to do awful things to Hermione, please be aware that even though there are no explicit descriptions of what he was going to do - I did have to use the words. I wanted you to be aware of this before hand just in case the words could bother you. Still I hope you enjoy this chapter.

With that Severus entered the mind of Ronald Weasley…

As Severus began the journey through Ronald's mind - back at Severus and Remus' rooms, Hermione suddenly got very quiet and began to shake. Susan, Cissy and Maria were immediately at her side, Susan knelt down in front of her and place her forehead against Hermione’s and asked, “What is happening?”

Hermione closed her eyes and took deep breaths...breathing in then out...over and over until she had her composure back. She quietly whispered, "I felt Severus and Remus tense for a few minutes, but then I felt the peace that comes from our bond wash over them." Susan held Hermione tight letting her gather the strength that she needed that came from the bond that they both share. Hermione then took another deep breath before saying, “They have started.” Cissy and Maria held her from the sides as Susan continued to allow the bond to pour into Hermione the presence of peace that she would need to get through this.

After a short time, Hermione reassured the women that she was fine and everyone could relax. She tried to smile, but it was a forced smile. The others understood as they knew that Hermione was very worried about Severus and Remus, especially Severus as he would be the one having to witness firsthand what Ronald was scheming. Draco and Harry pulled her into a group hug and just held her for a while knowing that this was what she needed. They had been her best friends for so long now that they were pretty much inseparable and just as she had always been there for them when things were tough, now it was their turn to be there for her and they would not let her down. Soon Luna, Neville, Blaise, Adrian and Marcus joined their little hug huddle, and Hermione relaxed knowing that she was loved and cared for.

While the boys had Hermione occupied, Susan approached John and Scott. She spoke quietly, “We may be called upon to center her if things go downhill quickly. The bond she shares with Remus and Severus is stronger than ours was when we were her age. Jean told me that it was strong with them, but just the fact that she knew what the boys were feeling and sensed the change in them and she physically began to respond to those feelings, it’s a good thing that she also felt the peace overtake them which immediately calmed her. My thinking is this, that if what Severus finds in that boy’s mind is severe – it is going to trigger her and she is going to feel his pain just as much as if she were in that room with him. We will need to draw on our bond to help keep her calm.”

John nodded, “I agree with your observation. We will need to keep an eye on her. Let us know immediately if something begins to happen and we will help center her. It seems that Jean may not know just how deeply they are intertwined at this point. This can be both a blessing and a curse for them going forward. We will need to discuss it with all of them once this is over. I can only hope that we aren't needed, but we'll be ready if we are.” Scott voiced his agreement, saying they would respond immediately if needed. 

Susan smiled as she looked at John and Scott, “Was it really so different for us. We were closer than most of my siblings were at different stages in the bond process. Perhaps it is just part of being in a trio with older mates. Severus and Remus are much older just as you both were. We came into things sooner than the others. It may just be part of this process. There is no way to really know as there are so few of us at the moment that have soul mates so much older. We will just have to wait and see what happens with them. We should be able to help guide them as we have been where they are now. Hermione is growing into such a beautiful young woman. You can see it in Severus and Remus’ eyes how much they adore and love her. It was the same with both of you. I remember looking at you and thinking how wonderful it was to know that both of you loved me so much and wanted only me. I loved being able to feel that pure love that comes from our bond. I just want to be able to help them and answer their questions honestly so that it will take some of their anxiety away.”

Scott pulled Susan close and kissed her, “You always were the one that wanted to help make everyone’s journey lighter and less stressful. We will help them and guide them and teach them. It’s always such a learning experience for everyone involved, but I don’t think I would have it any other way. Only if there was a giant book that could be dropped in our laps to tell us all the things we wish we knew but don’t on how to deal with our bond.” John laughed, “But...then again where would the fun be in that! Half the fun is going through the process.”

They all laughed while John and Scott pulled Susan in for a group hug. Then they looked over to Hermione who was laughing and joking with her group of friends. Good…they all thought…at least she wasn’t stressed out right now and that was good. They would continue to watch her and keep a close eye out for any signs of distress if it came. They broke up and went back to the other groups and talked about the upcoming term. Susan filled Cissy and Maria in on what she discussed with John and Scott and they both agreed to keep an eye on Hermione.  

Meanwhile…back in the Headmaster’s office

Severus was making his way through Ronald’s mess of a mind. How did this boy even function? Severus wondered. His mind was a mess of mix matched thoughts of nothing important, Quidditch, thinking of ways to get out of detention, terrorizing his brothers and sister, getting out of chores, chasing girls and the other mish mash that an almost teenage boy would be thinking of. Nothing with Hermione in them and that baffled him slightly. It was a clear red flag that somehow this boy had been able to hide his true thoughts behind a barrier. Knowing how much Ronald verbally spoke about what he wanted as far as Hermione was concern, made it very suspicious that there were no thoughts at all with her in them. Several of the boys from Gryffindor house had willingly given Severus and Remus their memories of Ronald spouting off that Hermione was going to be his and he didn’t care that she had soul mates, that it wasn’t important. On more than one occasion, he had made it perfectly clear that Hermione would be his or else she would be no ones. The most damaging memories had come from Ronald’s own brothers, Fred and George who had spied on Ronald while he was talking out loud about his plan to capture Hermione when she was on board the Hogwarts Express. The memories provided explicit details of what he wanted to do with her and it had taken all the willpower that he and Remus could muster not to go and pulverize the little weasel right then and there. The only thing that had prevent it was the fact that Albus had decided immediately to do the legilimency and regardless of what happened today, Ronald was going away for an extensive psychiatric evaluation that would put him away for at least six months, but more than likely a year. The memories that had been given to Severus would be held as evidence for when he went to trial. He had sealed his own fate whether or not Severus found anything.  

Severus returned to the task at hand, being the top leading Legilimens he knew all the tricks of the trade to hiding thoughts from being discovered. Now…he just needed to find the one that Ronald had used to hide his away from being discovered. Severus continued to sift through the barrage of fake memories being used to distract him from his goal. After several more minutes Severus saw it. It had only been a blip on the radar but it was all he needed to know that what he wanted was behind that wall. With the power of a speeding locomotive roaring down a steep embankment, Severus plowed through the wall that was holding what he needed. The minute Severus broke through he was inundated with memory after memory of his plans to destroy not only Hermione, but Remus and him as well. As the memories sped by each was the same yet with different scenarios and in every one of them his plan was the same. He would capture…torture…rape…and eventually murder Hermione. He would destroy the bond that they shared by taking her out of the equation, leaving him and Remus to pick up the pieces of a completely destroyed life. His words of ‘if he can’t have her no one would have her’ repeated over and over in his head.

It was then that Severus heard another voice…a voice that was stronger than the other voice…the voice of Jean when she held him before he went in, “Get what you need and get out as fast as you can. We are here for you and we’ll help pick up the pieces afterward. You can do this, Severus!”

It was at this moment that Severus wrapped the memories in an unbreakable bond so he could eradicate them quickly and then ripped himself out of the mind of Ronald Weasley. The look on his face said it all when he came out…he calmly walked over to Weasley and withdraw the memories that would lock him away for a long time and gave them over to Kingsley. He then removed his own memories and placed them in the pensive for the others to view and when that was done and he was confident that he had done all that was required of him, he dropped to his knees and threw up. Gut wrenching sobs and cries came from somewhere deep within him as he just allowed it all to come up and out.

In seconds, Jean was holding him from the front – Robin and Roland were holding him from the sides and Remus was pressed up against his back with his arms wrapped tightly around him. As everyone watched the others hold and comfort Severus, the bands of their bonds rose above each of the five. Jean, Robin and Roland’s bands merge and intertwined with Severus and Remus bands…strengthening…the pulse of the bands were visible to the others, but all they could do was looked on in wonder of the amazing show they were being privileged to watch. The pulsing of the bands grew even stronger with the bands whirling and twirling…coming together to then break apart and then coming back together stronger than they were the time before.

Back in Severus and Remus’ rooms at the moment Severus broke down, Hermione let out a scream and had proceeded to throw up all over Draco and Harry. Both boys were in a state of shock, but were quickly recovering as Susan, John and Scott grabbed her and drew her into them. Harry and Draco along with the others watched as the bands of the bond that the three shared rose above Hermione drawing her into them, Hermione’s band rose to join with theirs…pulsing and strengthening and growing in power just as it was happening back in the Headmaster’s office with the others. Draco and Harry realizing finally what was happening ran over and threw themselves into the mix. The bands of their bond with Hermione interwove with the others making it even stronger. As the bands reached a fevered pitch the six bands that had bonded and become one shot through the castle walls on a mission to reach the others that were in need. Hermione settled into a rapture of peace as her band sped through time and space to find her chosen mates and to give them the extra support that they needed right at that very minute. Hermione continued to glow brightly as the bands continued to pulse and grow around the group as their bond sped forward to where it was needed.

In the Headmaster’s office, the five continued to huddle as the bond pulsed and grew and imparted to all of them the strength needed to continue on. With a blast, Hermione’s band that was woven in with the others burst through the wall and slammed into Severus and Remus throwing all of them back by the force with which it had come through. In that moment, the peace that always came after settled over everyone in the room, but it was strongest on the Grangers, Severus and Remus. While they all laid spread out on the floor, Lucius was the first to ask, “What in the hell was that?”

Robin and Roland laughed while slowly getting to their feet and then helping Jean and the boys up off the floor. Robin shook his head, “That dear Lucius is the uncontrolled power of the soul bond that we all share. Although each of us has an individual band when they are combined with other bands they become incredibly powerful. We joined our bands with Severus and Remus’ bands to give them the extra strength they were obviously going to need to deal with whatever it was that Severus saw in Ronald’s mind. The band that plowed through that wall and slammed into us was Hermione’s band joined with Susan, John and Scott’s bands and I believe that Harry and Draco’s bands were also joined with them. When we are done here we will have to investigate what happened back in Severus and Remus’ rooms, but if I were to take a guess it would seem that the moment Severus pulled out and collapse – something happened with Hermione. It appears boys…that your bond together is even stronger than we have originally thought. It is very interesting indeed. However…that will need to wait until we have finished in here. Headmaster Dumbledore…how would you like to proceed from here?”

“I believe that Kingsley, Alastor and I should look at the memories that Severus withdrew first. Then I think it would be best if Remus, Robin and Roland look at them followed by James, Lucius and Arthur. Then we will determine if the women should see them and just how much they should be shown. Given what happened to Severus after he viewed and then retrieved them, I am going to take a guess that they are very bad. Am I correct in that assumption, Severus?” Albus turned to look at the still stricken Severus.

“Yes…Albus…you would be correct in that assumption. In fact, it is far worse than what we have contemplated at this point. I would suggest that the women only be shown a bare minimum of the memories as the viciousness and horror of what he planned to do to Hermione only intensifies with each memory. I am not ashamed to tell you that it will leave every single one of you forever changed. I will not lie to you when I say that death would be too good for him. He deserves to spend the rest of his life rotting in the darkest hell known to man for what he planned to do to her.” Severus turned and walk over to the window and took deep breaths to steady himself as he thought that every person in this room was going to be profoundly changed by what they were about to see. God have mercy on all of their souls.

Albus, Alastor and Kingsley headed over to the pensive with the memories in them. Taking a deep breath one by one placed their heads in the pensive and watched the horror take place over and over of what Ronald had planned to do. When they removed their heads, their faces were pale and all of them looked as if they were going to throw up. Kingsley immediately headed over to Ronald, who was still bound in his chair and with a voice full of emotion he looked into the eyes of a boy who had planned such vileness that his evilness could be ranked right up there with Voldemort.

Kingsley took a deep breath before speaking, “Ronald Bilius Weasley, you will never see the light of day again. I will make sure you spend the rest of your life in Azkaban with no chance of parole. You are a vile creature, I won’t even call you a boy. You shall forfeit your freedom and your life as you know it from this moment forward.”

Kingsley then turned to Aurors Proudfoot and Savage telling them to take him immediately to an impenetrable holding cell in the Department of Mysteries and hold him there until further notice. They were directed to keep him bound at all times and under heavy guard. Under no circumstances is anyone to know he is there and he is not allowed any visitors…no exceptions…period. With that Albus came to stand besides Kingsley telling them that he would drop the anti-apparition wards in 10 seconds so they could apparate straight to the holding cell.    

Jean hollered out, "NO...wait...please! Don't send him away just yet. I want a chance to speak with him after I've seen the memories. Hermione is my daughter and this vile piece of crap was determined to cause her harm and from the look of those of you who have already seen the memories that Severus pulled out of him, it is not going to be a pleasant thing to view. I believe I should be allowed to show Ronald exactly what I think of him once I've seen them. Please do not take that away from me."

Albus looked to Kingsley, who nodded his agreement. "David...John...Keep your wands pointed at him, if he makes any attempt to escape his confines aim to kill. I will not have him escape. He tries it...it's very simple...he dies and the world is rid of a truly evil person."

"Thank you, both. I will view the memories with my two husbands and Remus. I ask that Lucius and James with Minerva and Irma back us up. Severus...please back Remus up. I believe the four of us will need to draw on your strength once we are done." Albus began to speak but Jean held up her hand, "I know you wish to spare me the pain of seeing what he had planned for my daughter, but I am not a weak woman...I gave birth to eight children and have born much pain. I will watch and see and I will pull out when I need to, but for Hermione's sake I must do this. Please understand that I would not be able to have the closure I need unless I see firsthand for myself."

With that said, the four made their way to the pensive to view the memories. James stood behind Roland and Lucius stood behind Robin. Roland and Robin placed Jean in between them and they wrapped her hands in theirs. Remus stood next to Roland who placed his other hand in Remus'. Minerva and Irma then stood between Lucius and James lending their support to the three Grangers. Before they began Albus, Kingsley and Alastor came and stood behind Severus and Remus. As Arthur and Molly looked on the Grangers and Remus entered the pensive. Jean pulled out within the first few minutes and Minerva and Irma immediately grabbed her and helped her to the couch. With her face in her hands, she sobbed trying to breath in between the heart wrenching sobs that broke from her very soul. When the three men pulled out of the pensive they all dropped to their knees as they too broke down and the anguish that poured out of them was felt by everyone in the room. Then as it had happened after Severus...Hermione's band came pouring into the room and surrounded her entire family. They were in different areas of the room but it didn't matter...her bands expanded and grew and surrounded everyone including the Weasley's. The bonds powerful presence of peace was all consuming and reached into the very depths of everyone there.

While Hermione's band stayed and joined with the others - Albus asked James, Lucius and Arthur to step up and view the memories. His reasoning was that perhaps, Hermione's band had stayed to help the others deal with what they were going to see. The three stepped up with the others behind them to offer their support as the bands of all those with the soul bond flowed around the room, moving in an elegant dance as if spinning around in a waltz. Once the three men were done even with them being physically shaken, the last three women moved into place. As they were preparing to enter the pensive, the bonds' bands shifted - changing in color and width and plunged into the pensive. The women entered the pensive and within two minutes were back out, collapsing to the floor as they felt every bit of the pain as if it had been them that had been attacked. They cried as the others came to comfort them. Hermione's band along with her parents and her two beloved soul mates then expanded at a rapid rate and went totally super nova as the bond exploded in a brilliant color of light that settled on everyone in the room. As the light settled an overwhelming peace erupted throughout the room enveloping everyone in a warm fuzzy feeling of contentment that could only be contributed to what they had all just witness. John and David kept their wands pointed at Ronald even as they watched what was happening throughout the room.

As everyone was settling in to recover and talk about what they had seen. Jean moved quickly over to where Ronald was bound to the chair. In a split second, she slapped him across the face leaving a mark that would not soon dissipate.

"That is for thinking that you would have been able to get away with doing any of those vile things to my daughter. I hope they put you in a cell and throw away the key. The likes of you shouldn't even be allowed to breath the same air that I do. You listen to me, Ronald Weasley, if you ever manage to escape your prison which I highly doubt you will, but if...you do...know this...if you come anywhere near my daughter I...will...kill...you...myself and they will never find the body. Do I make myself perfectly clear." and with that said, Jean turned around and walked back over to the couch and sat down between her husbands and allowed them to give her the love and comfort she needed from them.

Albus approached the group, "Does anyone else have anything they wish to say to Mr. Weasley before we remove him from the room?"

Robin and Roland both looked at each other with Robin asking, "Is it off the record? I don't want my wife to face any repercussions from her outburst  but I dare say that I believe that all of us feel the same way. If Ronald makes any attempt on Hermione's life from this day forward I believe there is not one person in this room that will not first aim to kill and face the consequences after. I also believe that we would be justified in our actions after viewing what that despicable little cockroach was planning on doing to our beautiful daughter. That an eleven year old child could even think up those things is beyond my comprehension. You have some serious issues...boy. I do hope they can get you the help you need, but I'll be very honest with you...I hope you never see the outside of a cell again."

Severus and Remus together with James and Lucius at their sides approached Ronald. Both were fighting the raging emotions of disgust and anger as they looked down at the now timid boy sitting bound in the chair that would continue to hold him prisoner until he was safely transferred to his permanent cell.  

"Mr. Weasley" Severus spoke while gritting his teeth "This is your one and only warning and I speak for the other three men that are standing by my side. If you come anywhere near my wife and just so it is perfectly clear in that thick brainless head of yours, she is as much my and Remus wife now as she will be on the day that our bond is sealed and it becomes official, we will...end...you! If you so much as breath in her direction we will...end...you! We will destroy you and not even think twice. All of us fought against Voldemort...do you really think any of us would have any qualms about taking out a snot nose kid that thinks he can do despicable things to another human being. Don't bet your life on it. Enjoy your new home because when we are done with you - you will never see the outside of your self-made prison again."

Remus looked Ronald straight in the eyes and while he looked at him...Remus' eyes bled into the golden color of Moony's eyes. Then with a scowl Remus spoke, "Beware Ronald, that if you are anywhere near anyone that I love when it's the full moon...it won't be me that tears you into a thousand pieces ~ it will be 'Moony' and believe me when I tell you that he...will...show...no...mercy!! If it isn't a full moon it won't matter because my wolf form will pretty much do the same thing. My suggestion to you is be a good boy and you'll live to see many years in the cell that will become your home. If you chose not to be good, just know the deepest part of hell is awaiting your soul and you'll be there within seconds." Severus and Remus turned and walked away leaving a very pale faced Ronald in their wake.

James and Lucius shared their sentiments that they too would not even blink an eye and would take him out if he even so much as thought about hurting any of the people that they had come to care about and were now considered family.

Arthur approached his youngest son and with strained emotions he looked at Ronald one last time, "I am ashamed to call you my son. It is beyond me that you could think up one of those vile acts let alone the more than 20 memories that I saw...each of them more vile and horrid than the last one. With a heavy heart...I must"...a sob tore from deep within Arthur's being as he prepared to do the hardest thing that he would ever have to do. "From this day forth...for now and forevermore...I disown you as my son!" and Arthur turned and walked away from his once son. Molly, who had been deathly quiet since viewing the pensive, grabbed a hold of Arthur's arm and turned her back on her youngest son and walked away without saying a word.

Albus again asked if anyone had anything else to say before they carted Mr. Weasley away. Minerva and Irma shook their heads no and being satisfied Albus turned to Kingsley and Alastor giving them permission to remove Ronald Weasley from their presence. Kingsley told Albus and those gathered that he would be in touch in the next few days once he had secured a close session of the Wizengamot to process Mr. Weasley's sentence until then he would be kept in a top security cell with no means of escape. With that done, Albus dropped the anti- apparition wards and in seconds they were all gone.

Minerva look around at the still stunned group and said, "I don't know about any of you, but I need a drink!"

Everyone laughed and the group set about coming to grips with the information that they had seen in those memories  Albus cleared his throat, "I honestly don't even know where to begin with all this. I am at a loss for words as I am sure the rest of you are. Arthur and Molly, I am sorry. Even though Ronald is...sorry...was your son, this must be as hard on you as it is the rest of us. To think that he would have been capable of carrying out any one of those memories that we were subjected to is just inconceivable. I am truly sorry for the loss of your son, but the boy right now is a monster and must be dealt with accordingly. Tom Riddle was the same age when he began to show troubling signs and I ignored them thinking that surely he wasn't evil. I thought it was just a stage he was going through and that it would soon pass. We all know how that turned out and I refuse to make the same error in judgment this time around. Now, I must now ask all of you a very difficult question and I will abide by what you all decide. Do we tell Hermione what was in those memories?"

The group as a whole unanimously agreed not to tell Hermione anything about what was in the memories they had all seen. Robin and Roland were adamant that it would not serve any purpose to have those memories out there so they could torment her. She needed to be kept isolated from those memories. All she really needed to know was that the threat had been taken care of and Ronald Weasley was no longer an issue or concern for her. He was going somewhere far away where he would never be able to hurt her or anyone else ever again.

After another half hour of intense conversation, Albus stood "My dear friends, I believe that is enough for today. We will meet again in the next few days to discuss things further, but I believe that we all need some time and space right now to deal with this individually and I believe there is probably at this moment a very frantic young woman that needs to see not only her parents but also her chosen mates and she also needs to know that all of you are okay. That was quite the explosive showing of the power of the bond that you all share. I was not aware, even after all the reading that I've done on your family history that the bonds from others could merge together and do what yours did this afternoon.

The Grangers all laughed, then Jean smiling for the first time since she had viewed the memories of Ronald's threat sighed, "Albus, I must confess that I didn't even know the bond could do that until Hermione's band that was woven with the others slammed through that wall and then proceeded to knock us all on our butts. It was an absolutely, amazing thing to see even from our viewpoint and we've seen many things over the years with our family and the bond. I believe the reason for it is that we have never been under attack the way that Ronald threatened our family. The bond has been growing super strong between Remus, Severus and Hermione starting when she started Hogwarts. It has really gain strengthen since the incident after the Quidditch game. It was then that my husbands and I realized that something significant was taking place within them and their bond. As you all know, the bond is always a learning experience with each couple - no two couples are the same. Each of our other 7 children, every single courtship was different from the last one. It seems that our bond knows what each couple is going to need before they know they need it. I am also going to say that I believe strongly that 'if' Ronald had succeed in capturing Hermione..."

Jean paused for a moment to bring herself back under control from the emotions that were still running rampant through her. Robin and Roland pulled her close into them lending her their strengthen and love. Taking a deep breath with tears in her eyes, Jean continued "if he had captured her - I believe with every fiber of my being that the bond would have stepped in and prevent him from harming her. I also believe that if the only way to save Hermione would be to end Ronald's life - It would have. The bond has always protected those who are born into the bond and those that the bond chooses. I have often wondered if that is why Severus and Remus survived their final battle with Voldemort. They often speak of the peace that the bond brings, that the peace would surrounded them when they were on missions and I think that it is a very real possibility that their bond played an important part in their safety. We will have interesting days ahead as we watch what happens with the three of them" Jean lovingly looked at Severus and Remus and then turned back around into the embrace of her loving husbands and drew her strength from them.

Albus walked over and hugged both Severus and Remus as he thanked them and the others for coming and being witnesses. He gave Severus a squeeze as he thanked him again for being willing to go in and find the memories that were needed to convict Ronald. He assured all of them that if they needed to talk about the events that had taken place that he would be available at a moment's notice. He then spoke quietly with the Grangers for a few minutes asking them to stay for supper and to spend the night as he knew that they would want to spend time with Hermione to make sure that she was okay with all that had happened. He felt the adjustment period would go better if they were there to comfort and help her along with her mates, to reassure her that Ronald could no longer hurt her. Having everyone there would give her the support she was going to need.

Arthur and Molly approached the Grangers, Molly was still visibly shaken from what she had seen earlier. Her eyes still full of tears. Arthur spoke for the both of them, "We can't begin to even comprehend what happened to Ronald that he could plot to do those things to your precious daughter. One minute he's a quiet child playing with his toys discovering his magic and the next he is planning a crime so unbelievably vile, cruel and disgusting that I cannot believe that he was my son. I am so, so very sorry for the pain that he has caused you and your daughter. I can understand now why Hermione was so afraid and had to be constantly guarded by her large team of protectors. I hope that you can forgive us someday, but I understand if you can not."

Arthur wiped the tears from his face that had begun to fall. As he started to turn to lead Molly out, they found themselves in the warm embrace of the Grangers and the others. They allowed the Weasley's to cling to them until they were both able to regain their composure.

"We do not hold you or Molly responsible for Ronald's action. How can a parent know that their child is currently harboring such evil within them. Did anyone truly know just how despicable Voldemort was going to be? Did anyone really know that he would commit the most disgusting crimes especially against muggles who had no recourse to his pursuits. They were helpless against a mad man that's only purpose was to destroy them because they didn't possess magic. No...Arthur and Molly...we do not hold this against you. In fact, all we want right now is to be able to help you and give you the comfort and love that you are going to need in the days to come. This unfortunately is only the beginning. We will have to endure this all over when Ronald is sat before the Wizengamot and his sentence is given. I for one am going to request that he be obliviated. I feel it is the only way to keep Hermione safe in the case that he escapes his prison. He won't give up even with being sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban. He will continue to plot his revenge. Only when all the memories of Hermione are gone from his mind will we be able to rest assured that he will never again try to harm our daughter. So please, let us help you to deal with this...we do not wish for you to have to deal with this alone and we will not allow anyone to harm you because of your sons actions."

With that Robin, Jean and Roland gave both, Arthur and Molly a hug. Arthur said that they would be in touch and that they were both grateful for their understanding, compassion and kindness. With that said, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley flooed home to begin the unpleasant task of removing the presence of their former son from their lives.

The others watched Arthur and Molly leave and then said their goodbyes to Albus and head back toward Severus and Remus' rooms together. They quietly talked amongst themselves, still not totally convinced this mess was over, but for today Ronald was in a place where he could not get to Hermione. They agreed that they would need to remain vigilant and be aware at all times. Right now though their only concern was getting back to Hermione and making sure she was alright and then they could discuss what had happened with the bond. That would be the perfect distraction to take everyone's mind off what they had seen in the pensive.

 

**_Deep in bowels of the Department of Mysteries:_ **

****

Ronald Weasley sat bound in his chair looking at the white walls of his one room cell. Four Aurors stood guard outside his room. Silently mumbling to himself as the anger raged through him. He thought, 'I might have lost this battle, but I will not lose the war. Hermione Granger and now her whole fucking family will pay for what they have done to me. I can be patient and bide my time...someday they will let their guard down and someone will make a mistake and then they will all pay the ultimate price for this injustice with their lives.'  With those thoughts firmly planted in his mind, Ronald began to plan the destruction of Hermione Granger, her soul mates and her entire family.

 

 


	26. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it took forever to update this story. Real life tried to do me in and it seemed like I would never find my way back and then I felt like I'd run into a brick wall. On a good note...things are looking up for me...yes (finally) and my muse is alive and well and writing again. I am hoping she stays around for awhile and doesn't run off again, but what can you say sometimes life really stinks. Thanks again for all your wonderful comments and I'm glad that you are still hanging in there with me. So here we go!

As they walked back to Severus and Remus' rooms, quietness descended upon the group as each became lost in their thoughts again reliving what had happened in Albus' office. Emotions floated across their faces as they staggered at the vileness of one, Ronald Weasley but also pondering what was happening with the bond that they shared. It would appear that somehow the bond was changing, it was growing, almost evolving into something else. More questions than answers ran through their thoughts.

As they approached the rooms, Jean reached out and gently touched Severus and Remus' arms pulling them to a complete stop.

Jean breathe deeply before speaking, "I need to share something with all of you before we enter your quarters. Something that in the days to come you will draw back on and think about. You must remember this is just the beginning. We all know that Ronald is a threat not only to Hermione, but also to the two of you and honestly I believe the entire wizarding community could be effected by whatever scheme Ronald is probably even in this moment planning. Just because he was caught doesn't mean that he won't stop planning. Is Ronald so different from Voldemort and what he had plan for the wizarding world. It would be extremely foolish to underestimate him. Due diligence will need to be taken to ensure our world is safe.

That being said, I must share what is heavy on my heart right now. You see when I was a child I could and would sit for hours listening to the stories that my great-grandmother and grandmother would tell about the soul bond and what they had seen in their lifetimes. As a child it was fascinating to hear them talk about the bond shifting and changing and the wonderful things that it did. Even after reading the journals of my forefathers and soaking in the knowledge and history of our bond. It still leaves me with a profound sense of awe at what it is capable of doing. In the 700 recorded years it has grown and changed as needed. Some centuries very little change was noted. During times of war or disturbances it would shift and change to first protect and keep those with the soul bond safe. I have often wondered, when all of you were fighting Voldemort if the bond protected you, even then. Even though you weren't certain what it was at the time, it was definitely there - working to keep you safe. It what makes our type of bond special as it protects the soul of not only the bonded mates but those that will be bonded. From the moment the sparks entered your soul - it's purpose would have been clear. To protect each of you at all costs.

What you both need to understand before you walk into your rooms and Hermione pounces on both of you is that although the urge to protect her will continue to be very strong in both of you - her urge and determination to protect you will be equally as strong. You have all watched her, Harry and Draco as they have grown up. Hermione is just as strong and able as both her protectors and that is as it should be. If Harry or Draco were in trouble, Hermione would not hesitate to fight and protect them. It's a two way street as it were. I truly believe that had Ron attacked Hermione while Harry and Draco were not present, she would have fought and defeated him. The bond would have protected her and she would have done the rest. She is very strong in and of herself. She is even stronger when the three of you are together. The next time you are teaching her, watch her carefully. She is already incredibly strong and precise in her magic. It will only grow. She will continue to be a force to be reckon with and you'll both beam with pride as she continues to grow. You have been teaching her for years even before she came to Hogwarts. Continue to nurture that and she will be as powerful as she needs to be and she will still look up to both of you for guidance. Allow her this time to grow into the powerful witch she will become. The bond could not have chosen better mates for Hermione. She has always seemed older than her true age. It probably had something to do with her brothers and sisters being so much older than her. Then having both of you find her when she was still so young. It forced her to grow up quicker. Knowing Hermione, she would not have had it any other way.

I've been thinking about this from the moment Hermione's band along with the others blew through that wall and left us all sprawled out on the floor. That was all her with the support of the others behind her, but it was her determination to get to you, that is what powered the bond with it expanding the way that it did. She knew that you, Severus were very distraught when you pulled out of Ronald's mind. She would have sensed it through your bond. She had no other goal in mind but getting to you and getting to you as fast as she could. What really amazed me the most though...was the power that came along with it. I'm very interested in hearing what Susan and her boys have to say about what was happening on their end. It is always exciting when the bond does something that we have not seen it do before.

Our family has had a relatively long period of peace. This is the first threat in a long time against someone in our family, which has now provoke the bond to act. I admit that this will be another learning experience in our long line of learning experiences. Now we should return to your rooms as I am sure that there is a young girl that is in desperate need to see her two mates. We will conqueror this threat together. All of us...together as one. Know this my sons...our love for you will only grow stronger as your love for our daughter continues to also grow stronger. We are stronger as a whole then we are as individuals, but never think that if a situation demands it, we can and are just as strong alone. It's just nice to know that for the most part, we are never alone. Now let's go see our girl and the others.

Back in Severus and Remus' quarters, Hermione had begun to pace back and forth at a rapid pace. Thinking to herself that her parents and her mates should have been back by now. She was getting anxious and nervous and it was beginning to show as her magic was causing her already unruly hair to spark and frizz even more out of control. She practiced her breathing as she had been taught, but it helped only a little. The only that would soothe her soul at this point would be the return of her soul mates. She continued to pace unaware that the others were observing her quietly. It was then that she heard the noise outside the door indicating that they had finally returned much to her relief.  

The moment that Severus and Remus walked through the door of their rooms, they only had a second to react as they were promptly pounced on by their adorable wife-to-be. The tears she'd been holding back for the last hour flowed freely as she grabbed both of them and held them to her tight not wanting even an inch to be between the three of them. Remus and Severus wrapped their arms around her tightly as they softly whispered their love for her. Hermione could only nod and tell them softly through her tears that she loved them so very much and that she had been quite worried about both of them. At that point, it became just too much for them and with one quick sweep Severus had Hermione in his arms and Remus was right beside them as they headed off to their bedroom to just hold each other and cuddle until they felt the peace they needed and the world shifted back to somewhat normal. The relief they felt flooded through their bond connecting them even more than they were before.

Everyone watched them go and once the door had closed behind them, they let out a breath none of them had realized they had been holding. James and Lucius began to fill the others in as to what had happened. Cissy and Maria along with John, Scott and Susan were completely shocked by the revelations and it left them unable to speak for a several minutes. Each one trying and then failing over and over to grasp the horror that Ronald had wanted to impart on Hermione. Cissy, Susan and Maria fought back tears as first the shock of what they had been told settled into their spirits and then quickly it wore off and turned into anger.

Cissy spoke through gritted teeth asking, "Please tell me that they are going to lock him up and throw away the key! He doesn't deserve to be free...ever...again. I will hex him into the underworld myself if need be!"

Lucius smiled, "She will to and never...bat...an...eye!"

"She will not be alone in that sentiment as I will do everything I can to help keep Hermione safe and to put Ronald where vial creatures such as he belongs!" Maria added.

James put his arm around Maria while laughing, "That's my girl! Did I ever tell you about the time Lily thought it would be a good idea to surprise us with a visit? Maria hit her with Horn tongue hex before she could even open her mouth and followed it up with a stinging hex! It was brilliant and seeing as Lily couldn't take the hint then Maria sent a swarming bee spell her way and the last we saw of Lily was her running down the road making very loud horn noises. We laughed over that for a good month. Serves her right for thinking that I would just let her waltz right in and take over like she was known to do. I for one am very glad that, my Maria has my back and she is like a mama bear with Harry. No one in their right minds would want to piss her off. Not if they knew what was good for them."

Robin then spoke to the group, "Ronald has been taken care of for the time being. He has been place in a heavily guarded cell and will be kept bound until his hearing in front of the Wizengamot. Kingsley has guaranteed us that it will take place as soon as possible, even if it means an emergency session will need to be called. Ronald is a real threat and danger to not only Hermione, but the entire wizarding world. Many lessons were learned the hard way with Voldemort and it would be a very grave mistake to underestimate Ronald and his threats. Everyone feels very strongly that the appropriate handling and sentencing of Ronald Weasley will be taken. We must now stand together and continue our due diligence to make sure that Hermione and her protectors are trained to the best of our ability. We need to make sure that if Ronald does indeed find a way to escape and make good on his threats that Hermione is prepared to take him down by herself if needed. Let's hope that isn't the case, but she is already a very strong witch and it is all of our jobs to make her an impenetrable fortress. I do not want Ronald to launch a sneak attack and us be caught with our wands down. We have much to do in the time ahead. Together we can make sure that Hermione and her mates have everything they may need to defeat any attack on them."

The group continued to talk while they waited for Severus, Remus and Hermione to emerge from their safe haven. They spent some time discussing the possible meaning of the combined bands of the their bonds and the power with which Hermione's bond had quite literally taken on a mind of its own. Susan and Jean were both trying to remember if they had ever heard of anything like this happening before. Both were sure this was a new and different kind of manifestation of the bond. It was exciting as well as unsettling, but both sisters agreed that it would be very interesting to see what continued to happen as Hermione aged.

It was a little more than an hour later when Severus, Remus and Hermione reentered the common room and the three seemed much more relaxed and at peace. Hermione's magic had lessened and her hair was no longer writhing like it was going to sprout snakes and lash out at anyone that got too close to her. Severus and Remus also seemed much calmer than when they had first entered the room. All in all for the range of emotions that they had all gone through - things at the moment were tranquil. Hermione continued to hold Severus and Remus' hands as they sat down on the couch and began going over the events of the day.  

 John relayed what had happened on their end while Robin and Roland both spoke of what was taking place in the Headmaster's office. John and Scott acknowledged that Harry and Draco's bands had joined the others once they realized what was happening and had cleaned up the effects of Hermione throwing up on them.    

Hermione blushed, "It wasn't one of my better moments, but to be fair I had never felt so much through our bond before. I could feel Severus' pain and I knew with everything in me that he needed me. I'm sure throwing up all over Harry and Draco wasn't part of the plan but it must have just been nerves and all the emotions I was trying to keep buried. I wanted to be strong for them. Severus and Remus are always so strong for me, they protect me without even thinking about it. I wanted to be strong for them. I wanted to be there...for...them. I felt this overwhelming need to protect them. When Susan, John and Scott grabbed me to center me I remember using the bond to focus on Severus and to seek out and find him. Then Harry and Draco joined in and it gave me the extra power to push through. I knew the moment I found them and I actually felt the bond blow into them knocking all of you down. After that it was more or less just being there and surrounding them and the others in the room. Our bond has always been peace centered and that's what I focused on. Allowing my peace to flow through the bond and then push it out to surround the others once I had found them. I know it sounds crazy but mum...dads...has that ever happened to you? It was so serene, yet so powerful. It is even now really hard to put into words and describe, but it was amazing. Hermione paused for a moment trying to put into words what she was feeling. "I don't know how I knew...but I knew that everything was going to be alright." I knew that Severus was safe and okay and so were the rest of you."

Robin and Roland smiled at their daughter. Their brave, loving, caring and amazing daughter.  

Robin chuckled, "Your mum and Susan are already racking their brains trying to remember if they recall anything similar to this happening at any time in their lives or in the stories that your grandmother and great and more great grandmothers have told. I believe that it will take them a few days and countless conversations before they have an answer for you little one. For now, my dear Hermione, just know that you are safe, your soul mates and their friends are safe and your family is safe. In the days...weeks...months and years to come we will prepare you and your protectors with everything that you will need to know ~ just in case the need arises for you to have to protect yourself and those you love. The first defense in battle is to know all you can know and have the upper hand."

Roland added, "My dearest daughter, you have made us so proud and we all know that you will continue to do so. We are with you...just as much as your husbands are and just as much as your protectors and friends are. Remember this my sweet one - there are many battles in a war against evil...some we will win and some we may not, but it is very important for you to always be at your best and that is what we will train not only you but your friends to do. I do not believe for one minute that the threat of one, Ronald Weasley is over. I believe this is just the beginning and in the days to come we must continue to strive to stay ahead of him and whatever game he plans to play. Even though this may sound harsh, but I truly believe that the only way to ensure your safety was if Ronald was eliminate...permanently. As I am sure that will not be an option when he goes to trial as I am sure most will support the effort to rehabilitate him which may, but more than likely just make him more set on his destructive path. No my daughter, we must be vigilant and cautious. We must keep our eyes and ears open and prepare for a battle that will more than likely be life or death. The bond now seems to be changing and it will be interesting to watch and see what wisdom it chooses to bestow on us."

Hermione's parents went over to the couch where she was sitting and Jean knelt down so she was eye level with her youngest daughter. Jean placed her hands over Hermione's, which were still holding Severus and Remus' and she gently spoke, "My darling daughter, you will make us proud just as you always have. You will be strong and powerful and along with your chosen mates...'you' will defeat this evil that is trying to rise up against you. Of this I have no doubt. Mind your lessons well...keep your eyes and ears open...test your bond in non hostile ways...see what you can discover and Susan and I will see what we can discover. Your great great grandmother, Anise always felt that the bond was ever changing...always growing...that it always knew what was going to be needed in the next generation. She often pondered if the bond in and of itself was its own living force. Mind what you have learned child and what you will be learning. Trust your elders...trust your friends...your true friends...the ones that would put their lives on the line for you and that you would do the same...no questions asked. Trust your mates and listen to their wisdom and in return they will look to you and trust you and your wisdom. This much I know...as you grow - you will become stronger and so will they. Trust that when the time comes ~ you will have everything that you need to survive...to protect those that you love and to conqueror the darkness that threatens all that you hold dear." and with those words Jean kissed her daughter's forehead and then kissed both Severus and Remus on theirs.

As the families stood and got ready to say their goodbyes they agreed that they would all meet in a few days to go over what Jean and Susan had learned and hopefully they would know when the trial and sentencing of Ronald Weasley would be. As Hermione watched them leave she was startled as she realized that she could see the glowing bands of the bonds that her parents shared along with the bands that surround Susan, John and Scott. As Lucius and Cissy were saying goodbye to Draco, Hermione saw the bands that connected the three. It was the first time that she had seen Lucius and Cissy's bands. The same thing happened again as James and Maria talked to Harry before they took their leave. Just as she was about to say something to Severus and Remus, both put their hands on her and as she looked up at them she could see as clear as day the bands of their bond as they intertwined with each other. It truly was a beautiful sight and one that she would not soon forget. As she continued to look at them feeling overwhelmed with the love she had for these two men...the bands faded and disappeared, but even though she could no longer see them...she knew they were there. Yes...something was definitely happening to her and she mentally prepared herself to except whatever it was that was happening and to learn all that she needed to learn.

As the three slept in a peaceful slumber...tangled in a weave of arms and legs...Hermione's bond hovered over them keeping watch. It pulsed in rhythm to their heartbeats...expanding...covering and surrounding them in a impenetrable shield.  

 


	27. Hermione Inadvertently causes a Panic

The first week of classes were very quiet after the disaster that was Ronald Weasley. Hermione was mostly at peace and that reflected through the bond to Severus and Remus. Harry and Draco could also feel her peace as could Luna, Blaise and Neville. It was a new feeling for all of them and one they wanted to discuss at length as soon as the first week of classes were behind them. For now they were all content in knowing that the turmoil and stress that Hermione had been under was no longer there. They would continue to be diligent and guarded when they needed to be as they had taken Roland and Robin's words to heart. They also sense that the danger wasn't finished and none of them wanted to be caught unawares and then have to explain why they had been found lacking. The newness of feelings were strange for all of them, but they all admitted that they were looking forward to learning more as time went on.

When Saturday finally arrived it was a beautiful sunny and unseasonably warm day. The group chatted excitedly about what they wanted to do. Severus and Remus had morning rounds and were going to be unavailable for most of the morning. Before they left they gave them a warning to get their homework done and then they could have the rest of the weekend to do whatever they wanted. So the group left to go to the Great Hall for breakfast and make their plans for the day. They were hoping to get some Quidditch practice in before the day ended.

Hermione barely listened as Draco and Harry discussed with Neville and Blaise some new plays they wanted to try out. Luna quietly watched Hermione noting that she was uncharacteristically quiet and not really participating in the conversation not like she usually did. Hermione seemed as if she were a thousand miles away and Luna wondered if perhaps the events of the past week were weighing more heavily on her than she was letting anyone know. Luna vowed to herself to keep a watchful eye on her and if needed she would let the others know what she was witnessing. As much as she loved the boys they weren't as observant as they should be. If there was danger a foot they were right there...wands drawn and ready for a fight, but if it was just noticing a suddenly very quiet Hermione it went right over their heads.

Luna whispered, "Are you okay?"

Hermione gave her best friend a small smile, "Kind of"

"Do you want to talk about it?" Luna asked

"I can't even put it into words - Luna. I know something has happened but even if I wanted to...I wouldn't be able to tell you what it is . It's kind of frustrating right now. Trust me...when I figure it out you'll be the first one I tell." with that Hermione gave Luna's hand a squeeze and a small smile. "I'm going to head back to the room, I'll see you later, okay?"

Luna gave her a hug and a knowing smile "I'll see you back in the room after these guys are done."

Hermione got up and said goodbye to everyone and headed out of the Great Hall, but instead of heading back to the rooms she turned to make sure no one was following her and headed out the front door making her way down to the lake. She just needed some quiet alone time without people hovering over her asking her every five seconds if she was okay...or did she need anything...or could they get her something. She was going to be thirteen this year and she could handle some things on her own. It wasn't that she wasn't grateful - she was. She just wanted people to realize that she wasn't a fragile china doll that would break if bad things happened. She was stronger than that. She was just frustrated that everyone seemed on extra high alert and were trying to coddle her and that was the last thing she wanted right now.

She slowly made her way down to the Black Lake taking in the sights of the barren trees and the soft breeze blowing. She walked down the dock and sat down at the very end thinking back on the summer days when Harry, Draco and she would go swimming with the Giant Squid seeing which one of them could do the fanciest flips and flops from the Squid's tentacles. Gosh...she missed those days. The days when it was just her and the boys with Severus and Remus. When the only care she had was trying to best the boys at whatever game they had going on. They always seemed to underestimate her and that was their first mistake. The second mistake was thinking that she underestimated them. Almost every time she would wait until the very last second and defeat them often leaving them to wonder how in the heck she had just won. Hermione laughed at that thought. She would on occasion allow them to win thinking that they had finally beaten her. She would smile acknowledging their supreme skill, congratulating them on being 'Masters of the Universe' and that she would get them another day. Then she would walk away with a knowing grin that they were so clueless, but she loved them just the same. Besides it would ruin the fun if she were to win every time.

As she sat there staring out at the water her bond twirled around her bringing her the peace she so desperately needed at this moment. As if brought to the surface by the power of her bond the Great Squid appeared and swam quickly over to her. Hermione smiled as the Squid held out his tentacles so Hermione could climb on board just as she had done as a small child. With a knowing trust, the Squid took her out into the water and toward the small island that was in the middle of it. Hermione let out a sigh knowing that this was what her soul needed and was grateful that Mr. Squid had responded to that need. She rested as they made their way through the water knowing that she was safe.

Meanwhile the others had returned to their rooms to find them empty with Hermione no where in site. They searched all the rooms only to come to the conclusion that Hermione was not there.

Harry and Draco turned on Luna, "You're sure she said she was coming back here."

"Yes...that's what she said. Maybe she just needed some quiet time away from everyone. You know 'she' has been through a lot this week and not just with all the Ronald crap. I think she is feeling rather smothered at the moment." Luna stated as a matter of fact.

"She can't just go disappear and not tell us though!!" Draco screeched his voice taking on a strange higher pitch the more excited me became. "What if someone else tries to hurt her...what if they are hurting her right now. We don't even know where she is!"

"I think we should tell Severus and Remus that she's missing" Harry wisely advise. "They will not be happy if they found out we knew and didn't tell them.

"Maybe we should just take a quick look around the castle and look in her favorite hiding places first before we go and upset Severus and Remus. What if she is just hiding out in her corner of the library." Neville suggested.

The others quickly agreed that - that would probably be the best thing to do first. No sense riling up Severus or Remus for nothing. That would not end well for any of them. Harry then gave out orders sending Draco to the library to look for Hermione. Blaise and Neville would head out to her favorite places inside the castle to hang out. Luna would check out the Room of Requirement on the 7th floor to see if she had gone there. Harry would go and check the classrooms to see if she was with one of the other teachers. They would then meet up at the Great Hall and together would check on her favorite spots outside the castle. With their game plan on they departed the room and headed off in different directions hoping that she was in one of the places she usually went to. None of them wanted to face the consequences if they couldn't find her.

Back at the lake the Squid was making his way to the little island. This was one of Hermione's favorite quiet places when they would come visit. It was quiet and peaceful and just what she felt she needed at this moment in time. A place where she could sort out all the feelings she was having. As they arrived at the island the Squid gently put her down on the shore and settled in to listen to her as she deciphered her thoughts. It was a game they had played many times in the past and the Squid knew she needed to vent and in his own way he wanted to be there for her.

Hermione let out a huge sigh and laid back in the sand, "Thank you, Mr. Squid for bringing me out here. I thought for sure I was going to be smothered to death by everyone if I didn't get some alone time. My friends have been very clingy in a good way. I don't want to sound ungrateful because I'm not. I'm very grateful they have my back and they want to protect me and keep me safe, but I'm not going to break. I can take care of myself even though I know they think it's 'their job' to keep me safe. I can protect myself...I'm just as strong as they are. We have trained together since we were four...yes...granted we weren't train training at four - but we have all learned the same things. We've dueled and trained and fought side by side for years and now they go all up and 'let's save the damsel in distress' on me and it's making me cranky. I can't go anywhere by myself...I'm surprised that they don't come in the bathroom with me but I'm telling you right now if they start that crap I'll hex them good."

Hermione stood up and start pacing, "Uggghhh...I sound like a big whinny baby! I'm sorry...well not totally sorry...it's just things are changing. The bond is changing. I...I'm kind of scared even though I haven't had a chance to tell anyone yet. They don't know that when I felt Severus' distress through the bond...the bond showed me why he was distressed. I...I know what Ronald wanted to do to me. I saw it all...or at least I think I saw it all. It really makes me want to go hex his balls right off. I wouldn't even feel bad...I want to see him roll around on the ground holding himself while I hex him again. What...an...idiot!! Gosh it just makes me so mad and then it upsets me that everyone...and I mean everyone...my mum...my dads...my mates...my friends...just everyone!! You get the picture...they all think that I couldn't handle it...and maybe I'm not handling it well but the thing is I know. I saw it, too. Now maybe...maybe the bond didn't show me everything...maybe it kept certain things from me...but Ronald is a vile little cockroach that needs to be stomped out. He was planning on doing vile...awful...unspeakable damaging things to me and I just want to punch him...then hex him...then kick him in the balls while hexing his balls and well...if his penis just 'happened' to get in the way...well...so sad too bad for him. It's not like he's going to be using it on me anytime soon or ever because it will be a cold day in hell before I ever...yes...ever...let him get the upper hand on me. Ooooo...I just want to slap him into the next galaxy!"

Hermione flopped back down on the ground as she tried to ground herself as her hair was flying and sparks were coming and going in multiple directions.  She closed her eyes and worked on calming her breathing. Sighing loudly again, "It's just I don't understand why they are all of a sudden or at least it seems sudden to me...that they now want to over protect me. They've watch me train with Harry and Draco...they have seen me grow strong in my magic. I mean sure I'm not as strong as I will be in say 4 more years or whatever but I'm still not a weakling that is just going to roll over and pretend, 'Oh...whoa is me...please come and save me as I'm a helpless little girl who can't do anything for herself. Ugggghhhhh!!!!"

"and NOW...now the bond decides to change and become even more intense. I mean...sigh...I know that the bond does that...it has for hundreds of years...I guess it's just with everything else that is going on...now...I have to deal with our bond changing and doing different things and I've never totally understood the whole bond thing other than I am bonded to two men, Severus and Remus and don't get me wrong I love them both...deeply...it's more intense than I ever would have imagined and now that I feel them through the bond it's even more so. I know the bond is a gift...I know it serves a purpose...I know all that in theory but it's a whole other thing when you are actually living it. I really....really hope that mum and Susan get some answers when they go visit Great...great...grandmother, Anise next week. Do you really want to know what I'm feeling..."

Mr. Squid nodded his head and with his tentacle encouraged her to continue on, "In all the time I've known Severus and Remus...I've never felt the need to protect 'them'. I know that they have protected me especially when I was younger and that they pretty much have kept me in a safe little bubble. I know that it's different now that I'm here at school and there are more dangers and more situations that could cause harm...and I do understand that Ronald was a huge threat to the sanctity of our bond, but what I don't understand is why they felt they had to protect me from it...from what Ronald was planning on doing? I don't understand why they felt I couldn't handle it? and...is it always going to be like this? Are they going to continue to withhold things that 'they feel' I couldn't handle without even giving me the option? I have so many unanswered questions and...I'm afraid to ask them. I'm afraid they'll be mad or they will think I'm not grateful or they will think that I don't need them. We are a trio...a traid...we are three as one...I want them to trust me enough to allow me to make my own observations on things that happen that affect us as a whole. I want them to value my opinion not prevent me from having one. I want them to understand that I want them to lean on me as I lean on them. I am also wondering if the fact that I'll be entering puberty soon as any effect on what is happening with our bond! Uggghhh...I just want a book to fall out of the sky and hit me in the head and say, 'Here is the answer to all your questions...Read on...Hermione...read on!!"

She laid back beating her head on the sand.  Mr. Squid came forward and gently took her up in his tentacle arms and rocked her...holding her close as she released all the frustrations she had been holding in for the past week. She allowed Mr. Squid to rock her back and forth...she felt the calming energy of the bond wash over her as it led her into a peaceful sleep. As she slept in the loving arms of Mr. Squid,  she was blissfully unaware of the panic storm that was happening back at the castle.

Severus, Remus and Minerva were standing in the shadows of the Great Hall discussing other precautions they could implement to keep Hermione safe when they looked up to see a very distressed group consisting of Harry, Draco, Neville, Blaise and Luna run by and out the front doors.

As Severus and Remus watched them go...Minerva spoke, "That doesn't look good and where is Hermione? She is always with the 5 of them."

Severus face turned even paler than normal, "Oh no...they better not have...something better 'NOT' have happened to her."

Remus always the voice of reason, "Severus...settle down! Now...if something had happen to her we would have felt it through our bond...would we have not?"

'Yes...I suppose that is true. She was really agitated just a little bit ago but she seems at peace now. In fact this is the most peaceful she has felt all week."

Severus looked at Remus...Remus looked at Severus...both of them looked at Minerva and just as they were about to move Irma came down the stairs and met up with them.

"Do any of you know why Draco would be hyperventilating because Hermione wasn't in the Library?"

"Okay...that's it. Can we go find out what is going on, Now!" Severus asked.

"Um...yeah...let's go! I bet they headed toward the lake." Remus answered shaking his head. Oh my...what have those kids gotten themselves into now.

The four adults headed out the door with Severus in the lead to track down the obviously very upset kids to find out just what had gotten them into such a panic.

Mr. Squid gently continued to rock Hermione as she slept in his tentacles. The bands of her bond surrounded them keeping them safe and in their own little protective bubble still unaware of the storm that was brewing across the lake on the other shore.

The group of kids gathered at the lake in major panic mode. Harry and Draco were both running their hands through their hair mumbling that they were 'Dead...we are so dead!' Neville and Blaise were trying to reassure them that she had to be somewhere and they would find her. That they needed to calm down and focus so that they could logically figure out where Hermione might be. Luna just stared out across the lake with a knowing smile on her lips. She turned around just in time to see Severus and Remus and their group catch up with the others.

"Mr. Potter" Severus barked

"Mr. Malfoy" Remus added

"Would you boys like to tell us what is going on?" Severus asked

Harry and Draco looked at each other as the color drained from their faces. Harry looked at Neville for support as Draco looked at Blaise. Both boys hesitating and not really knowing how or where to begin. Both boys stuttering and the words refusing to pass their lips.

Severus grabbed the bridge of his nose and trying to contain himself, "Look...obviously something has happened that has the five of you in a state of panic. Just take a deep breath and start at the beginning and let's figure this out together. Is that doable?"

Harry blurted out, "We lost Hermione!!"

"We can't find her anywhere! She isn't in any of her regular places! We've looked everywhere!" Draco screeched.

Minerva spoke up as she gave both Severus and Remus the 'don't say another word...yet' look. "Okay...when was the last time you saw her?"

"Breakfast in the Great Hall" they all responded.

"Did she seem alright at breakfast?" Minerva asked

The boys all responded, "She was fine. We didn't notice anything off."

Minerva smiled and look right at Luna, "Okay Luna...how was Hermione, really?"

Luna smiled back, "She wasn't herself, Professor. She was acting like she was far, far away. Kind of like the weight of the world was on her shoulders and she didn't quite know what to do about it. She is still struggling with what happened with Ronald and what the bond revealed to her and she has questions...lots of questions...and the only ones that can answer those questions for her are you, Professor Snape - Professor Lupin. She needs to know that you trust her and that you can allow her to be her. She doesn't say much...she keeps it all inside...when she returns to us shortly...sit down with her and let her spill her fears and doubts and concerns. Allow her to ask her questions and then answer her honestly. She loves you deeply but she is scared and uncertain right now. She needs you to understand this."

Severus and Remus were left speechless by Luna's insight, so Irma spoke for the boys, "Did Hermione tell you this Luna?"

"Oh...no...I felt it through the bond. You have to get really, really quiet to pick it up but it's there." Luna answered nonchalantly.

At that moment, Hermione woke up with a start, "Ohhhh...oops. It would seem Mr. Squid that as we were enjoying our nap that a panic storm of epic proportions is taking place back at the castle." Hermione giggled, "I suppose that you best take me back before they call out the Aurors to find me. I didn't think about them being in a wee bit of a tizzy when they wouldn't be able to find me. My bad! Oh well...they will eventually get over it and hopefully they will realize that I can take care of myself. I hope they aren't too mad...dang I didn't think they would bring Severus and Remus into it. Well...guess it's time to face the music and see how much trouble I'm in. Want to know a secret?? I don't really care...it was so worth it! Thanks for listening to me, Mr. Squid I feel so much better now and yes...I promise to talk to Severus and Remus and tell them how I'm feeling. I guess we better go before hexes start flying."

Hermione gave Mr. Squid a hug and they started off to head back to the castle and the hysterics that awaited for her.

Back on the shore the others were trying to decide what to do next and where to look when Luna turned to them, "You don't need to do anything."

They all looked at her like she had just grown three heads. "Why would we wish to not do anything, Miss Lovegood?" Severus asked

Luna smiled in her usual dreamy look and point out across the lake to where the Giant Squid and Hermione were cruising across the water, "Because here she comes"

Everyone stood still and watched as the Giant Squid brought Hermione back to them. Hermione bent over and kissed Mr. Squid on his forehead and then turned and allowed him to put her on the shore in front of the stunned group of her friends, her soul mates and teachers.

Hermione sheepishly waved her hand, "Hi"

Severus and Remus immediately surrounded her and hugged her tight. After a few minutes the men released her and allowed her friends to hug and squeeze her and they shared their relief that she was safe and unharmed. Minerva and Irma gave her a knowing look and Luna wrapped her arms around Hermione and whispered that if the boys had just listened to her that she would have told them that everything was fine and that Hermione would return after she had her quiet time. Boys...they just don't stay quiet long enough to be able to get through to them. Hermione laughed at that and thanked Luna for understanding.

The group made their way back to the castle chatting about going to the Quidditch pitch and practicing their new plays. Hermione reassured them that she would not be going on any more adventures that day and she would be in their rooms when they returned. Luna knowing that Hermione needed to talk to Severus and Remus went with the boys.

Hermione then took Severus and Remus to their rooms and she took a deep breath and talked to them about everything she had told Mr. Squid. She put all her fears...troubles...all the questions she had. She put it all out there and both men were quiet and listened as she poured her heart out. They were surprised that the bond had revealed to her what Ronald had planned and both promised to do their best to not assume that Hermione wouldn't understand and that she wasn't old enough to understand. They promised to include her in conversations that had to do with her well being and they also promised to work really hard on not underestimating her. They were impressed with her strength and agreed that perhaps they had not given her the credit she was due. She was indeed a strong person and witch, in the years to come she would become even stronger. When it was all said and done, Hermione felt as if the weight of the world was lifted from her small shoulders and she knew that things would be better. Communication was the key and she promised them that she would speak up when things bothered her...even if she felt it was a foolish question. She felt confident that one of the first hurdles had been successfully cleared and she was at peace.

As they snuggled in bed that night, Hermione felt the harmony of the bond and smiled knowing that in that moment things were as they should be. In peaceful sleep they all slept content in knowing that they were loved and wanted and understood. Tomorrow was another day with more battles to face but for this one moment in time all was well in their world.


	28. Visiting Nan Nan Anise

The rest of the week was spent talking about what had happened and how they were all feeling about it as it was important for Hermione to realize how the others felt about her little disappearing act. It was important to the boys that Hermione realized that in not telling them where she was going it had inadvertently set them all into a panic thinking that someone had taken her. She had talked to Severus and Remus for hours, all of them working together on answering her questions, acknowledging her fears and helping her to understand why it was important for her to tell them and her friends when she was feeling out of sorts and need some personal time alone. By Friday afternoon she had pulled all her friends together and explained to them how she was feeling. The boys reassured her that nothing was more important to them then knowing that she was safe. She listened as they explained to her how scared they had been and that they had thought the worse and that was that something had happened to her when they couldn't find her and how they felt they had failed to protect and keep her safe. They told her how they felt and the panic that had steadily grown as they searched for her and continued to come up empty. How their emotions had continued to sky rocket with each passing minute and the thoughts of total failure when Severus and Remus had finally found them and they had to tell them what had happened.

As Hermione listened to them describe their panic, she suddenly understood why they had panicked as their feelings flooded through the bond. Her face went stark white and she let out a small gasp as tears filled her eyes. She had been so angry and frustrated that her emotions had overshadowed the emotions that the boys were feeling. By the time her mates had entered the picture she was in a deep sleep having totally worn herself out. When she had awoken, she had sense the sheer panic that was flowing through the bond from her mates and also her friends. It was then that she had finally admitted to herself that perhaps she should have told them where she was going even though she had been angry and was fighting all the turmoil within her. She had thought that she needed to deal with her feelings on her own, but she was quickly realizing that in shutting them all out, she had hurt them all. She had caused them unwarranted worry and anxiety all because she thought she needed to face her demons alone. She had not considered their feelings and that they would naturally think something bad had happened to her. That they would have felt the deep sorrow of failing to keep her safe and that they had failed in their duties as her protectors.

As the bond allowed her to feel their feelings of despair, she understood that this new aspect of the bond was something that they were all trying to decipher and figure out. It was new ground for all of them. In the past, she could feel some of what Severus and Remus were feeling but it was not as clear as it was now becoming. Where they could sense her moods and she theirs, it was now more complex. Almost as if there were now more layers to the bond and it was still growing and changing. The fact that her friends could also sense things through the bond was even more puzzling. It just made Hermione's head hurt trying to wrap her mind around all the new aspects of the bond and what would that all mean in the future for all of them.

Hermione reassured her friends that she would be more willing to open up her thoughts and how she was feeling even if she thought it would be better to keep things to herself. She had realized that she thought she knew best, but was truly understanding that part of friendship was being able to share the bad along with the good. She promised them that she would work very hard at keeping them inside the loop instead of outside of it. She had admitted that she had been wrong in keeping things to herself and that perhaps she didn't know quite as much as she thought she did and that it was important to be open and honest with the ones she loved and cared about. It was a relief that although she thought she could handle things herself,  the truth was that she was realizing that she might not be able to handle everything. It was also refreshing to know that she didn't have to. If there was one lesson Hermione learned in all of this, it was to trust in your friends even when you think you can do it alone. She realized that another bonus to Remus and Severus being older was that they had more life experiences and that their wisdom would be invaluable in the days, months and years to come. Communication ~ truly would be the key.

_Saturday morning:_

Saturday morning arrived to find Jean sitting at the kitchen table drinking her coffee while waiting for Susan to arrive. Robin and Roland had left earlier to take care of some business and would catch up with her later. She was reading a letter from Remus telling her about Hermione's little disappearing act and the repercussions that had sent shock waves through everyone in her inner circle including her bonded mates.

She was laughing out loud when she reached the part of Hermione returning on the Giant Squid like a warrior returning from battle just as Susan walked in the back door.

"What has you laughing like a hyena?" Susan asked with a chuckle of her own.

"Remus sent me a letter letting me know that Hermione managed to cause quite the meltdown last week when she told Luna that she was returning to their rooms only to find her not there and causing a major panic with everyone. Draco and Harry were attempting to keep it on the low down until the five of them could find her, but ended up bringing Severus, Remus, Minerva and Irma all into by the time they were done. So Remus and Severus have spent most of the week doing damage control trying to get them all to sit down and talk it all out. According to Remus, Hermione has now come to terms with it all and has apologized to everyone and is promising to include all of them and let them know when she needs a little space." Jean sighed.

"Well then let's hope Nan Nan can clear some things up for us. I for one would like to know what is happening with the bond and why the sudden changes. Have you notice a change in your bond with Robin and Roland?" Susan inquired

"I was just about to ask you the same thing. The answer to your question is 'yes'. Ours is changing as well. It's more detailed then it has been in the past. Almost like it is taking on a new aspect all on its own. Making us aware of the others emotions. I can't even begin to explain it. I just know that it's changing. I've nonchalantly asked the other kids if they've noticed anything new and interesting going on in their bonds, but for the most part they haven't. I don't know if that means nothing is happening or if they just haven't been paying attention to it."

"That's interesting because I mentioned it to John and Scott the other day and they both agreed that the bond seems to be making them more aware of our emotions and what is going on with the others. They both agreed that it is more intense now than before. I'm wondering if it could be because we are the closest to Remus, Severus and Hermione at this time, may be that's why we are now picking up on the subtle differences."

"I think you're on to something there, Susan. The six of us were the only family present for the confrontation with Ronald Weasley. We were also the only ones to witness the power of the bond when combined with those present. You were a main link with Hermione when the bond showed its power and blasted out of the room you were in while it was in search of where we were. I was on the receiving end of that power and I can tell you that apart from it knocking all of us on our butts the absolute pure power that was behind it was overwhelming. The strength of the peace that settled on all of us was out of this world. It still can take my breath away when I think back on it.

"Well I say let's get over to Mitchell manor and see what Nan Nan can tell us. She did some amazing research on the bond in her time. Maybe she will know what it going on and the meaning behind it. I hope Freddy made his famous biscuits. My mouth is watering already!" Susan laughed.

"Oh my - thanks a lot, Susan! Now my mouth is watering. Freddy does make the most awesome biscuits!" Jean sighed

_Mitchell Manor - Bridgwater_

It was a little after 11 in the morning when Jean and Susan made their way through the front gates of Mitchell Manor on the outskirts of Bridgwater. It was a quiet little village with rolling hills and wide open spaces as far as the eyes could see. The manor sat on a hill overlooking the valley and in the spring the hills were full of flowers as far as you could see.

The original manor house had been built sometime in the latter part of the 17th century and had gone through countless renovations over the years. In each generation, one child would take over ownership and be responsible for the up keep on the manor and grounds. At this moment the manor home was being taken care of by Uncle Martin, Uncle Milty and their wife, Maddy. Uncle Martin was Martha's brother. The manor house reminded Jean of the plantation houses in 'Gone with the Wind' and this house had many wonderful memories for both Jean and Susan as both girls had spent many a summer playing in the fields, helping with the horses and doing chores around the manor. Some of their best summers had been spent on the grounds of Mitchell Manor.

As Jean and Susan made their way up the path to the manor house both girls were lost in childhood memories of a time when things were so much simpler than they were today. With the responsibilities of large families of their own, time had simply past by in a blur and here they found themselves in a place that held so many special memories and yet they had not been back here in way to many years. They both silently resolved to come back more often and to share this place with their families before it was too late. Jean had a feeling that Nan Nan was going to request a meeting with Hermione and her mates before too many moons pasted. It would give her the perfect excuse to come back and share her memories with them.

As they approached the big front doors, Susan whispered "This place has so many great memories, I can't believe it has taken me so long to come back here. I feel kind of bad that if it wasn't for the fact we need answers to what is going on with our bond, that we may not have returned here at all."

Jean looked over at Susan with a look of complete understanding. "I know I was just thinking the same thing. Life goes by so fast and then it's gone and the important things or I should say the things that should be important get lost along the way. It's been what 20 years since we last set foot on these grounds and yet as soon as school was over for the summer this was the first place we wanted to come. I think maybe it's time to reevaluate what is really important and focus on those things."

Susan smiled and shook her head in agreement.

As they stepped up on the large wraparound porch with the porch swings that they would rock on after supper and sit and watch the sun set all those years ago. The door flew open and James came running out to greet them with his arms wide open trapping them both in a giant hug. Both girls laughed and hugged him back as he led them into the house.

Aunt Maddy arrived shortly after and sent James on his way to tell Freddy they would take lunch in the blue room. James hurried off after taking a few more hugs from Jean and Susan, he being extremely happy to have his cousins visiting. Maddy led them down the hallway to the open canopy room with the windows that seemed to reach the sky. The sun was shining in and casted a warmth throughout the room. This had been one of the rooms that the entire family would gather in during holiday times. It appeared that it had not been used in a very long time. Jean felt a sudden sadness come on her as she realized that her family wasn't the only ones that had not visited the old manor home. On the far wall over by the fireplace hung the portrait of Nan Nan Anise. She was quietly resting as they entered the room.  

Maddy led them over to the table before speaking, "We'll eat first and then I'll wake up Nan. She's been extremely quiet these last few weeks, almost like she senses something is happening, but doesn't have the faintest clue as to what it can be. Usually she is talking up a storm and you can't get a word in edge wise, that is until lately. When I told her you both were coming, she let out a sigh and then all she said was "Good it is time" and then not another word. It is just the oddest thing. Martin and Milton are worried. They were telling me the other day that something felt off. I really haven't notice anything out of the ordinary, but then I don't really go anywhere, only around the grounds here. I haven't even taken the horses out as the weather hasn't been nice enough to do so."

Jean and Susan looked at one another and Jean quietly asked, "Have you noticed a change in the bond?"

Maddy looked at both of them and shook her head, "Not really...no. Should I have noticed something?"

Jean was about to say something, but at that moment Freddy and James entered with lunch and everyone settled into eat. Jean gave Maddy a knowing look that said, "I'll fill you in after we eat." Jean and Susan both gave Freddy a kiss and raved on him about the awesomeness of his biscuits and how much they missed them and him. Jean and Susan caught them up to date on the goings on with their families. Jean told them about Hermione and her soul mates. The group had been very surprised to learn that Hermione's mates were almost 20 years older and Freddy had laughed and told Jean that she was going to have her hands full. Jean assured him that she already had her hands full, but Severus and Remus were wonderful boys and the bond had chosen very well when it had matched them. The boys were both teachers at Hogwarts and their love for Hermione was very strong and had been from the very beginning. Lunch was a very enjoyable time for everyone as they all caught up with each other what was going on in their worlds. When lunch was over, Freddy and James left to clean things up leaving the girls to continue their visit.

Once the boys left, Maddy looked over and said, "Okay tell me what is going on and what should I have noticed?"

Jean laughed, "Aunt Maddy relax, it's nothing bad...in fact I think it is actually going to turn out being very good, well once we figure out what is happening. That's why we wanted to talk to Nan Nan Anise. She did so much research into our bond if anyone will know what is happening, we believe it should be her."

Susan added, "I think we should wake Nan so we only have to tell the story once. As it has two points of view I think it will be easier to just do it once and then we can answer any questions you might have."

"Yes, that sounds like a plan. The best way to do it. Alright let me wake her." Maddy went over and gently touched the painting that was, Anise Margaret Mitchell Thorton.

She yawned and then her eyes flew open. She quickly scanned the room before her eyes landed on Jean and Susan.

"Jeannie - Susie!! Oh my look at how you've grown and you've both gotten even prettier. It's been way too long, girls. Come here and let me take a good look at you."

While Nan Anise was checking out the girls and chatting away, Martin and Milton entered the room and made their way over to Maddy. They quickly gave her a kiss and the three of them sat down on the couch and waited for Nan to finish with Jean and Susan.

Once the introductions and getting reacquainted was finished, Jean and Susan were greeted by Martin and Milton and then they all settled in for the telling of the story. Over the next hour, Jean went into great detail telling them all about Hermione and her chosen mates, the threat of Ronald Weasley and what had happened a few weeks ago. Jean and Susan reiterated the story from both sides and tried to the best of their ability to describe what had taken place when the bond had taken on a life of its own and the feelings Susan had when it had taken off to find Severus and Remus, and Jean telling what had happened when it had found them. They both described the sheer power of the bond as it had torn through the wall searching for the others and then the pure power of the bond that blew through the wall, a force so powerful it knock them all down.  When Jean and Susan were finished they all sat there for a time, digesting and taking in what they had just learned. Nan Anise was very quiet and then she began to speak.

"Our bond began hundreds of years ago. When it started - it was new...unlike anything that had come before it. Unlike anything that was going on in that time and it would continue to be...be its own entity. Changing...growing...always in motion is the force behind the bond...always moving...even when it would appear nothing was changing...it was...slowly evolving into what it has always been destined to become. A power that can save a life...or take one if need be. Based in the purest form of love...held in the deepest peace...it can be nothing but what it is. No matter the time...or place...or moment...it will always be...it will always protect...it will always rise to the occasion for which it was conceived....way back before the time when magic flowed so breathlessly through the world. I had always thought that there would come a time when the bond  took on a life of its own...where the power that has laid dormant all these years would finally rise up above the ashes and be all that it was created to be. Jean...your Hermione is the cornerstone...she will help bring our bond full circle...her mates will guide her along her destine path...and God forbid anyone that tries to get in its way. This Ronald...he will pay the ultimate price for his deception...mark my words and even when he thinks he has won...it will bring about his downfall and demise. Beware...guard your hearts...stay in love...keep your love flowing above all else for there is another that comes that is even more deceitful then Ronald and they too will be dealt with accordingly. Be wise...share what you have learned. When the school year is done...you are to bring them all...all of them including her mates...her protectors and her 3 closest friends. Bring them all to me and I will pass on what they will need to know. The bond will continue to grow stronger as it was meant to do...it has begun. Just as a stone thrown into a pond and the rings spread forth...so will the power within our bond begin to spread. Tell only those closest to you as some of them it will effect a little but those closest to you, Jean and Susan...your families will feel the difference the most. Do not fear the change that is coming...embrace it...feel it...grow with it. The best is yet to come. Be watchful over those that you care about...trust in what you have learned.  It...is...time...

With that said, Nan Nan Anise went back to sleep leaving her guests with more questions but also with a knowing that things were going to get interesting from here on out. Jean and Susan looked at each other, both thinking the same thing...there is another out there that is going to try and destroy Hermione. Another that is 'more deceitful' than Ronald. But...they will not succeed...they will be defeated, but at what cost to Hermione and her mates. Jean sighed and looked at the others in the room. There would be no answers today...or tomorrow, but in time the answers would come...in time they would know what to do. For today they would rest in knowing that the bond would do what it needed to do to keep Hermione safe.

As Jean and Susan got ready to leave, Aunt Maddy said that she would begin preparations for a full house come June. It would be wonderful to have the house full of laughter again with children running and playing like they did when they were kids. Susan agreed that she felt it would be best for her and her boys to come as well. Susan explained that they were all working on their animagus training and they had a feeling that Neville, Blaise and Luna were also going to want to join in. It would be a perfect place to work on their transformations. Jean told them that more than likely they would also have the Potter and Malfoy families coming along as they had all become a very close knit family with Harry and Draco being Hermione's protectors. It was a family affair. Jean mentioned that they might want to set the west end field as a quidditch pitch as the kids loved to play and they all enjoyed a good game of quidditch to chase away the blahs. Jean grinned and told them that it really gets interesting when they play in their animagus forms. Maddy had laughed and assured them that she couldn't wait to see them in action. With plans made to meet again in a few weeks to go over preparations for a summer at Mitchell Manor, Jean and Susan hugged and kissed everyone good-bye and got ready to make their way back home. Freddy came up with two baskets of biscuits for each of them and with more hugs and kisses the girls were finally on their way.

Returning home, Jean and Susan sat down at the kitchen table and let out a long sigh. They would have much to do in the coming months to get everything ready for the summer, but they both agreed that the trip to see Nan Nan had been worth it. They both felt they now had a purpose and the beginning of a game plan. As Jean looked at Susan, she nodded knowing that both of them would be looking forward to spending the summer at Mitchell Manor and making a bunch of new memories with their friends and families.

Susan got up to leave with her basket of Freddy's delicious biscuits, "It's good to know we have a starting point and that we aren't imagining things. I'll come over in a day or so and we can start making our own plans. For now I think we should just tell our guys and then together we can decide who else we should tell. I know you are going to want to write Severus and Remus and let them know what Nan said. It's almost like it's a prophecy sort of. She always did have a little bit of a seer in her. Are you okay with all this, sis?

Jean smiled at her, "You know something I am. I mean I still need to process what she said and really look at it. I'm going to write it all out so we have a reference point, but she knows things and she's not afraid. I'm not sure what it means by _'mark my words and even when he thinks he has won...it will bring about his downfall and demise.'_ It's like something is going to happen to Hermione, but it is going to turn out okay and he will be dealt with. I just wish he would go away and stay away, but then there is this 'other one' that very well could end up helping Ronald with his plan to do in Hermione. It will drive me crazy if I let it so I'm just not going to think about it for a while. We will do what needs to be done and we will come out on top. Of that much, I am sure of."

"We'll talk soon, I promise!" Susan gave her a hug and a kiss and waved goodbye and then she was gone.

Jean moved back to the table and sat down. So much to think about...so much to plan for and how much did she tell Severus and Remus at this point. She got up and made herself a cup of tea and sat down to write the boys. As she began to write, she felt the peace of the bond wash over her and she knew what she needed to tell them. It would all work out...she had no doubt. Hermione would be safe and the bond would keep her that way. She needed to tell them to prepare for a summer to remember...a summer spent on the rolling hills of Mitchell Manor. With those happy memories running through her thoughts she wrote her letter to Hermione and the boys. She would also write one to Minerva and Irma letting them know that they needed to leave their summer open and why. Yes...it was going to be a glorious summer!


	29. The End of Year 1 ~ Animagus Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After battling vertigo for over 4 months the doctors finally sent me to physical therapy and after a few sessions the spinning has finally stopped. Due to the fact that my head was constantly spinning I have been unable to do much of anything except pray for it to stop. Some days all I could do is sit still with my eyes closed. It is the reason that this chapter has taken so long to get done. I'm hoping that it is gone for good because feeling like you are on a tilt-a-whirl...non stop...24/7 for that long was physical and mentally draining. I am feeling much better and my goal is to start updating regularly. Life is still crazy for me, but at least I'm not spinning anymore. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy this long over due chapter. I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to do each year separate or if I'm going to combine years 2-4 so we can get to the romantic part of the story.

The months had quietly and quickly flown by after the visit to Mitchell Manor. Without the threat of Ronald, life at Hogwarts had continued on without much fanfare which was fine with Hermione. Her mother and fathers had kept them updated on the progress of getting Mitchell Manor ready for their extended visit come summer. Hermione had been excited at the prospect of spending the summer away and was eagerly looking forward to exploring the grounds with her friends. Hermione was content to just be for once and knowing that Ronald couldn't get to her she relaxed and enjoyed the rest of her first year at Hogwarts.

The group received a big shock when Cissy delivered twins in February. Marcus Severus and Morgaina Jean made their arrival on February 7th. Draco was excited to have a baby brother and sister. Lucius had been surprised and delighted with the twins as on more than one occasion they had wondered if Cissy was carrying twins. Even with all the advancements in medicine and healing there were still some things that would always be a mystery and pregnancy was one of those things. It was finally confirmed when after 12 hours of labor, Cissy had delivered Marcus and then Morgan came shortly after. Even with the shock of two babies instead of one, the Malfoy family were thrilled beyond measure that they had been blessed with more. Lucius had confide to the group that he had his doubts that they would ever have more than just Draco. With Draco, Cassie and the new additions the Malfoy home was full of laughter and love. John, Scott and Susan were named Marcus' godparents and James and Maria would be Morgaina's.

As with each new arrival Severus, Remus and Hermione would often get lost in their own thoughts thinking of the time when it would be them holding their newborn son and daughter. As Severus and Remus held the newborn Malfoy children Hermione reached out and touched each of their tiny hands.

'You realize that in a very short time this will be us.' Hermione smiled at both of them. 'They are so tiny. It's so hard to believe that these beautiful tiny beings are held in the safety of their mother's womb until just the right time and then they come out to meet us.'

Severus gently touch her face, "You will be an amazing mother, Hermione. I still relish knowing that you will be our wife and bear our children. It is still so humbling to know that we were chosen for you. This bond we share, the love I feel and I know Remus feels the same way." Remus nodded in agreement as he took Hermione's hand in his as he held little Morgan in his other. "You bring so much joy and happiness to our lives that its power is so overwhelming at times."

Remus leaned over and gave Hermione a soft kiss on her lips and she shuddered at the power of his kiss. Her lips tingled as Severus leaned over and kissed her, too. She sighed a content sigh as Remus reached out to touch her cheek.

"When I think of all the years that Severus and I were alone, never knowing that this was waiting for us. Then the night that your sparks entered us and we didn't understand what had happened, but we just knew that something wonderful had happen and we desperately wanted to know. Even now after all these years, the wolf is still at peace. He's no longer in pain...no longer angry...no longer seeks to turn others because he has all that he will ever need now. You and your love...it is what keeps us sane in times when things are so uncertain. When our protective instincts are on high alert...when all we want to do is hold you close and protect you and keep you safe. I can't even bring myself to think of how mad it would have driven me if Ronald had hurt you. The wolf in me would have torn him apart with no remorse...no feelings of guilt. My only thoughts would have been to protect what is mine. To keep safe the woman that is my whole world." Remus let out a long sigh. "I am just thankful that it didn't come to that. We will have time now to work on tampering those emotions of maim first - ask questions later."

Severus shook his head in agreement, "It is hard for us to put into words the intense pressure we feel to protect you. It is one of the things we both wish to discuss with your parents this summer. Remus and I have discussed it among ourselves these new feelings that are coming through our bond, we just need someone to explain what is happening and how we should deal with it. It is such an overwhelming desire to keep you safe at all costs. We however do not want you to feel that we are over stepping your bounds. I know when we briefly talked to your mum and dads after the whole disappearing act that you did that it was even more important to talk to you about what you were feeling, but to also let you know how we are feeling."

At the mention on her little side trip with the Giant Squid and subsequent tantrum, Hermione's face flushed pink. "That really wasn't one of my better moments. I still feel bad about it even though at the time it was really what I thought I needed to do, I understand now how everyone else felt. It is easier to look at things when you are not high on emotions and you can put yourself in the others shoes and I realize even more today that if it had been either of you that had gone missing I would have been a basket case and more than likely worse than the two of you were. Even as painful as it was it was a very good lesson to learn."

At that moment the babies began to fuss and our trio took them back to Cissy so she could feed them. The next months flew by in what felt like a blink of an eye

Ten weeks before finals, Hermione noticed the Luna, Neville and Blaise had taken the first step to finding out their animagus forms when she spotted the tell tale signs of mandrake leaves attached to the roof of their mouths. She also tried not to laugh too loud when Neville and Blaise both swallowed their leaves within minutes of each other. A well placed sticking charm later and both boys were on their way. She had given them a knowing smile as she remembered on more than one occasion she had seen the three of them sulking as they sat in the stands watching the others playing Quidditch in their animagus forms. Professor Whiskers as they affectionately called her (when no one was around of course) had told them that if they studied hard over the next few months, she believed they would take their forms sometime over the summer when they would all be at Mitchell Manor. Grinning at the three, she said that if they focused and did their meditations that they may even shift sooner than that. It was a big boost for the three that Susan, John and Scott came over often and the six of them would sit in the library doing their meditations. It seemed to help the younger three have a clearer focus having the older three there to help center them.

So it wasn't surprising that right before Easter break, Susan was the first to shift into her animagus form. Susan was a beautiful silver fox with black wings. No one was more surprised than Minerva that Susan had wings. Harry and Draco were thrilled that they had someone else that they could fly with. Hermione had taken to riding with either Draco or Harry, but she was secretly thrilled with the idea of hitching rides with Susan. A week later when everyone was on break at the Granger home, Scott and John both made the shift into their animagus forms. John was a Occamy, a bright turquoise blue color with purple wings. Scott was a Swooping Evil in a mixture of blues and greens with large wings. The three new flyers took off with the young dragon and thunderbird, the mother phoenix and one very excited she wolf who took turns riding the new additions. Severus and Remus just sighed and shook their heads thinking that they were never going to be able to keep Hermione on the ground now.

In a strange turn of events that no one has been able to explain to this day, when the group went to play a game of Quidditch before they returned to school to finish out the year, when they shifted the three wolf animagus' had added appendages. All three wolves now sported a black set of wings that were fully functional. And not to be undone by Severus, Remus and Hermione ~ it seems that magic truly was in the air as all the animagus forms that didn't have wings before, now had them. Lucius sported a giant pair of white wings on his tiger body, Cissy had brown wings on her mountain lion body. James had Pegasus wings on his stag body and Maria ended up with golden wings on her lynx body. Minerva was completely amused with the development of wings on her friends, but she was totally taken back when she shifted into her tabby cat form only to discover that she too had been gifted with a set of tortoise colored wings.  If that hadn't been enough to convince everyone that magic was blessing them all with wings to fly, just one look at Robin in his grizzly bear form with massive bat wings had them all laughing and rolling around on the ground. It was then that they all realized that Luna had at some point made the switch to her new form which was a fairy dragon with a purple and pink body and polka dot luna moth wings. Later after a very fun game of flying animagus Quidditch, they would all venture out over the ocean for a late night fly as the moon rose over the water. James was carrying Neville on his back while Lucius had the privilege of carting Blaise, the two boys were more determined than ever to make their own shifts and to find out just what they were going to be. Each boy secretly hoped that they too would sport a set of wings so that they could fly on their own.   

With the end of year finals approaching and their first year coming to a close our group had mixed feelings. They were excited for summer to begin and to start the adventure at Mitchell Manor, but they were also sad that their first year was almost over. They had learned so many things and their bond as a group was growing stronger. They did not want to be separated even for a little bit. Neville, Blaise and Luna knew they were going to be arriving at the Grangers home two weeks after school let out so they could go to Mitchell Manor with the others, but they didn't like the fact that they would be separated for two whole weeks. Hermione reassured them that they would be fine and those two weeks would go fast and then they would all be together again. She understood the separation anxiety better than anyone having gone through it for years with Severus and Remus. As she explained to the three at least it would only be for a few weeks, Hermione had to endure months with Remus and Severus and she still felt the pain of being separated from them today.

Our group studied hard and felt they were as prepared as they could be for their end of the year tests. Things were still peaceful and quiet with no other issues having to be dealt with. It seemed that after the disaster with Ronald Weasley everyone decided it was best to lay low and not misbehave. All except Fred and George who still loved to prank and tried not to get caught. No one was surprised when they ended up in detention for some prank gone wrong. At least they were pretty much harmless and most were good for a laugh.

The Quidditch final between Slytherin and Ravenclaw was held two weeks before testing. Slytherin won the cup with a resounding whomp over Ravenclaw 360 to 40. Hermione and Draco scored most of the points and Harry ended up catching the snitch with time running out. The team celebrated their first cup win in years and everyone enjoyed themselves at the celebration party hosted by Lucius and Cissy. With Quidditch finished that left studying for their finals. Our group spent countless nights going over charms and transfiguration. Severus tested them on their knowledge of potions and potions ingredients. Remus helped them work on their Defense Against the Dark Arts spells and counter spells. By the time finals came around, Severus and Remus pronounced them ready to succeed and they believed they would all pass with flying colors.

Final testing was finished and all that was left to do was enjoy the leaving feast, see what house won the house cup - it was a close 3-way battle between Slytherin, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. Ravenclaw held a slim lead going into the final days, but Slytherin was gaining on them. Fred and George somehow managed to lose Gryffindor a bunch of points, which wasn't totally surprising, in the last few days. Then they needed to pack for the ride home on the Hogwarts Express. Hermione was distressed to learn that Remus and Severus had to stay a few extra days at the castle to tidy things up and then they would be coming home to the Grangers. Hermione's own separation anxiety was off the charts and it took Severus and Remus most of the day to settle her down. They hadn't been a part since the end of last school year and Hermione wasn't liking it at all. She knew she needed to put on a brave face for Neville, Blaise and Luna but she wasn't feeling it.

To make Hermione feel better Harry and Draco suggested that they have an impromptu game of animagus Quidditch. Severus and Remus agreed and got permission from Albus who thought it was a great idea and then proceed to make the announcement at lunch for anyone interested that Professors Snape, Lupin and McGonagall along with some other animagus would be having an animagus Quidditch match around 2. Severus sent a message off to Jean and within the hour the Grangers arrived with Susan, John and Scott. Lucius and James popped in with their wives and younger kids and everyone headed out to the Quidditch pitch to celebrate the end of the older kids first year at Hogwarts.

The turnout was huge as most of the school came out to watch their teachers and fellow students and some of their parents play. The rules were broadcasted so everyone would know and then the players shifted into their forms. The crowd roared as they pointed to the wolves with wings and the other exotic creatures with wings. It was one of the Hufflepuff first years that first notice that Minerva's form now had wings and she let out a scream while pointing to the tabby cat who flew by on her wings. As the teams were being drawn up, a cheer went up as Neville and Blaise finally shifted into their long overdue forms. Neville stood up as a fierce griffin illuminating power flowing off of him. Standing on top of the griffin was a cheetah with spotted wings that was Blaise. Luna floated over to them in her fairy dragon form and snuggled up to each of them letting them know in Luna speak that she was so very proud of them. The girls in the crowd ooh and awed over how cute she was.

The teams were decided:

Team Remus: Roland was keeper, Harry was seeker, Remus and James were beaters with Neville, Scott and Susan as chasers. Seeing as they had extra people John was added as an extra beater and Maria was the secret keeper.

Team Severus: Robin was keeper, Draco was seeker, Severus and Lucius were beaters with Hermione, Blaise and Luna as chasers. Jean was an extra beater and Minerva was the secret keeper.

Maria and Minerva's mission would be to fly around and distract the others. As they were both small and fast on their wings they could move in and around without being seen until it was too late. The game was fun, but intense as most animagus games were. The boys like to play for blood and the girls they like to get on the boys nerves. The students and teachers loved it. Not only was it entertaining but seeing them all with their wings left many of them wondering what it would be like to be an animagus with wings. They played for a good hour and a half with many ups and downs. The crowd roared as Draco's dragon and Harry's thunderbird went neck and neck with the snitch. As the two rolled over and over plummeting into a pile of feathers and scales with wings folding over them, Harry held up his hand with the snitch and the win for Team Remus!! As Harry was trying to untangle himself and stand up, Minerva swooped in and stole the snitch from Harry. The crowd went wild with the antics of one tabby cat and the game was the talk of all the houses for the rest of the afternoon.

The leaving feast was filled with good food and laughter and when the final points were tallied...Ravenclaw beat out Slytherin by 10 points. Gryffindor manage to hold on to third with Hufflepuff coming in a close fourth. Gryffindor vowed to clip the twins wings so next year they didn't lose them the cup by doing something stupid at the end. Fred and George just shrugged their shoulders and laugh. They couldn't help it if people couldn't take a joke. What was life if you couldn't laugh about it or joke and prank people.

The next morning our group was ready to head to the train. It was decided that Harry, Draco and Hermione would leave their trunks behind as it would be easier for them and that Remus and Severus would bring them when they came home. Hermione was having a minor meltdown, but it was quickly taken care of with the promise that both of her boys would floo home tonight once they were done with what needed to be done and then they would floo back tomorrow and finish things up. Albus gave them his blessing understanding that Hermione was still feeling that need to be in close contact with them.

All in all their first year was finished. Grades would be mailed out in a few weeks and now it was time to relax and enjoy their summer. A summer filled with adventure and excitement at Mitchell Manor. They couldn't wait until they were all together again.

As the six friends boarded the Hogwarts Express to begin their summer vacation, a lone figure draped in a black cloak stood in the distance watching with a letter tightly clasped in their hand announcing the date of the trial and sentencing of Ronald Weasley. A sneer on their face the only expression shown. Then slowly the figure made their way onto the Hogwarts Express for the ride home to Kings Cross Station.

 


	30. Summer begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say thank you for all your well wishes. It was not a pleasant time in my life, but I'm happy to be feeling better. My birthday was yesterday and as I sat enjoying my time at the beach the next chapter just flowed right out. So my birthday present to all of you is another chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I can't promise they all will come this fast but hey I'm on a roll so away we go :)

_ Hogsmeade Station _

Severus and Remus watched Hermione and her friends climb the stairs and enter the train to begin their long ride home. They stood silently...watching to make sure that they were safely aboard and then turned to head back to Hogwarts to get the assignments the Headmaster had asked them to do done quickly hoping to complete them and beat the gang back to the Grangers. All of sudden both men stopped and abruptly whirled around looking back over the train just in time to see a dark hooded figure board the train. Severus began to move, but Remus gently held him back.

"Did you feel that?" Remus asked

"The bond pulling us to turn just at that moment to see that person enter the train? Yes...but why did you stop me?" Severus looked at him with concern.

"Don't you feel it?" Remus asked again. It was not condescending...it was an honest question to see if Severus was feeling the same pull that he was.

Severus looked at Remus and then it hit him like a pie to the face. "The peace!!"

Remus shook his head, "Yes...the bond only wanted to draw our attention to the fact that the person was boarding the train. Whoever they are poses no threat to Hermione...at least not at this time. Let's try something. Let's see if we can reach Hermione through the bond to have her turn and see them, too.

Severus and Remus both focused their thoughts to Hermione telling her to turn around.

On board the train as Hermione and her friends made their way down the train to one of the compartments toward the back where it seemed to be quieter. Hermione suddenly stopped and whirled around searching for something. It was then that she spot the figure with their hood up enter one of the front compartments.

Draco and Harry were immediately on alert and within seconds Blaise and Neville were in position to protect.

Luna was looking in the direction that Hermione was also seeing the person with the hood enter the compartment as well and then she cautiously touched Hermione’s shoulder whispering, “Hermione…what is it?”

Hermione shook her head trying to bring her focus back to the present, “Let’s get to our car and then I’ll tell you.”

The four boys then ushered the two girls back to their car and entered it. Draco and Harry quickly put up the protective wards that Severus and Remus had taught them that wouldn’t be detected unless someone was foolish enough to use a dark or harmful spell, hex or jinx. Once the car was secured they all turned to Hermione to find out what had happened.

Hermione took a deep breath and then looked at her best friends. “I’m not sure what just happened. We were walking along and all of a sudden I felt Severus and Remus through our bond telling me to turn around. So I did and I saw that person with their hood pulled over there head enter one of the upper compartments. Then I felt the strong presence of peace through the bond. It was almost like they wanted me to be aware of that person, but they felt that they were not a threat at least not at this time. Still it’s unsettling. I just don’t understand what or why this is happening at this time.”

Hermione let out a deep breath that she had been holding. “We’ll just have to keep our guard up some for the trip home. I’m really beginning to hate riding the train and that’s sad because it’s such a beautiful trip, but I’m tired of feeling threatened every time that I get on it.”

Draco and Harry wrapped her up in a hug while Blaise and Neville stood by for their turn to reassure Hermione that no one would get to her. That they would never let that happen. After all the hugs were given, Luna peeked out the door of their cabin and then looked back with a grin on her face.

“What are you thinking, Luna?” Neville asked.

“Well…the head boy and head girl are standing right in front of the cabin that hooded person went into. I think I’ll just go say ‘Hello’.”

With a smirk on her face, Luna shifted into her fairy dragon form and took off up the train to go say ‘Hi’ to the Head boy and girl. Hermione peeked out of the cabin to watch her go and then returned to her seat to wait.

Carly Simmons and Jake Douglas were the Head boy and girl for this year. They stood talking quietly before starting their rounds for the last time. Carly was startled when Luna flew right up flapping her tiny polka dotted wings and flying around their heads. Carly laughed and held out her hands which Luna didn’t hesitate and immediately landed on them and encouraged them to rub her back and belly. Both laughed and started petting the adorable fairy dragon. While they were occupied rubbing Luna, Luna quickly glanced over into the car to see if she could spot the mysterious hooded figure. She knew the chances were slim that the person would still have their robe on but it didn’t stop her from quickly scanning the people in the cabin. Luna nuzzle Carly and then Jake and then took off and flew back down the train back to her car.  

Once back inside Luna poofed out of her dragon form and filled the others in.

“The car in question was filled with mostly first year girls and a few boys from Hufflepuff. I saw Susan, Hannah and Ginny Weasley. There were five others that I don’t remember who they are. Ginny and Susan were sitting away from the rest of the girls staring out the window. The boys were playing chess. I couldn’t see any robes, but I really didn’t think I would. I didn’t notice anything out of place and couldn’t sense anything foul or sinister.”

“Are you sure that was the right compartment?” Blaise asked.

“Yes.” Both Hermione and Luna answered.

“Okay I believe you. I didn’t see it as I was looking in the other direction. It just seems unlikely that a threat could come from Hufflepuff. I just don’t see it in them.”

“But…” Neville broken in “We didn’t see Ronald as the threat he became either. If we go back even further…the wizarding world didn’t see the threat Voldesmuck poised either until it was almost too late. Things could have been a lot different for all of us if he hadn’t been defeated.” They all nodded their heads in agreement.

“Luna, you said Ginny Weasley was in that car right?” Blaise asked

“Yes…she was.” Luna acknowledged.

“I’m not saying it was her, but I think we would all be foolish not to at least consider that she may want revenge on us for getting her brother kicked out of Hogwarts. Even though it was totally Ronald’s own doing.”

The others agreed that to rule someone out just because of the house they were sorted into would be a mistake. It would be just as bad as those that said only bad, dark wizards came out of Slytherin and they all knew that wasn’t true.

Draco was deep in thought, rubbing his hands through his hair. “We’ll just have to wait until we see Severus and Remus later to ask what they thought was going on. Obviously there was a reason that they wanted Hermione to turn around and see the hooded figure. Something must have triggered their response. We’ve warded the car and taken the precautions that we could. Now we should just sit back and relax and enjoy the journey home. Who knows if we’ll have another chance to ride the train? We know how protective Severus and Remus are of Hermione and if they even have the tiniest inclination that she might be in danger in any way by riding the train, they won’t hesitate to take her and us to Hogwarts another way.”

Harry spoke up, “We would be as bad as the others if we didn’t think that Ronald has allies somewhere. Hell…we know he was friends with Crabbe and Goyle. Merlin knows what kind of plots they were planning together. As Auror Moody always says when he’s drilling us on combat, ‘Constant vigilance…constant vigilance!!’ Every time I think about letting my guard down, it’s like he’s in my head screaming that and ‘Potter ye will be dead if ye let ‘em git one over on ye! Git ye head out of yer arse and pay attention.’”

They all laughed as Harry tried to do his best impersonation of Alastor Moody, but then they instantly sobered and nodded. It would not do to let their guard down even when things seemed fine.

Hermione sighed, “I guess it was too much to ask that this was going to be resolved just by removing Ronald from the equation.” Harry and Draco gave her a hug knowing that she just needed to feel their presence and the reassurance that she was safe. They would do all that was in their power to keep her that way.

As they were all sitting there lost in their own thoughts, Hermione began to glow and they all watched as the ring of her soul band reached out to them. Luna was always fascinated when ‘Hermione’s soul band came out to play’ as she called it. Hermione’s band expanded to encompass her friends. As the band circled the room, Hermione’s band was joined by Draco and Harry’s bands and then less than a minute later Luna, Neville and Blaise bands joined the others for the first time. As the six bands joined and intertwined with the others the power of peace surrounded the group. After a few minutes the bands disappeared leaving our group feeling content and in awe of what they had just been a part of.

“Wow! That was amazing!!’ Luna squealed. “I didn’t know I could do that. Not that I think I have any power over whether or not I can do it. It seems to be totally at the mercy of your band, Hermione.”

Hermione who was sitting between Harry and Draco smiled. “That was so awesome! I mean Harry, Draco and my bands have been ‘playing together’ since we were little. Whenever any of us suffered something traumatic they would come out and intertwine with each other while we slept. My parents have pictures of us sleeping with our bands weaving around us. Severus, Remus and my bands come out a lot when we sleep, too. Over the years the bands have become stronger and seem to come out when something significant happens and well you guys all saw what happened when Severus and Remus and the others were confronting Ronald. It was the most powerful display of the bands power to date. My parents are searching for answers which I think is one of the reasons we’ll be spending the summer together at Mitchell Manor. As my dads like to say, “Hermione, love…we are in uncharted territory. A greater mystery you will not encounter. It is time to put on our detective gear and find the answers to the unanswerable questions. Hold on tight for the ride may get a little bumpy along the way.”

They all laughed. Harry sighed, “That is definitely something your dads would say. That and ‘Kids there is adventure to be explored. Let’s go before someone else finds it!’”

Draco smirked, “All right then matey’s, let’s make some plans for our summer of fun at Mitchell Manor, aye!”

They all settled in for the ride home. Each one hoping for an uneventful ride to King’s Cross Station. Summer was just beginning and it was going to be great and plans needed to be made. Hermione smiled at her friends as they began talking about what they may encounter at Mitchell Manor and what they were hoping for. Definitely more Quidditch in their animagus forms if they had anything to say about it.

Hermione quieted her mind and let her peace flow through the bond to her mates to let them know she was safe and she would be waiting to talk to them when they arrived home.

_ Meanwhile back at Hogwarts: _

Severus and Remus had made it back to Hogwarts and were just starting to climb the stairs to the main doors when Hermione’s thoughts whispered through the bond. They both stopped and looked at each other.

“Wow…that is amazing!” Remus exclaimed.

“That it is.” Severus agreed. “She’s safe and at peace and that’s all I need to know at this time.”

“Do you think this is something normal or do you think this is something new?” Remus wondered.

“I think we are going to have a lot of questions that we want the answers to and I’m not sure if anyone has those answers at this time. If I were to wager a guess, I am going to have to go with it is something new. Well…at least new to us. We haven’t been able to truly communicate through the bond until now. That is if she received the message we were trying to send, but I’m thinking she did. If not then something else may be happening.” Severus looked back over the way they just came. “She is peaceful and safe…that is all we can ask for right now. Let’s get the things Albus wants done…done so we can get home. I’m feeling a strong desire to just hold Hermione in my arms and not let her go for a while.”

Remus clapped his hand on Severus’ shoulder. “Me too, my friend…me too! Let’s get it done.”

As Severus and Remus walked through the main doors Minerva was there to greet them.

“Did the children all get off alright?”

“Yes…they are all on board and headed home for the summer.” Remus answered.

“Very good…yes…good.” Minerva sighed. “Albus wants to see the three of us as soon as you got back. He wouldn’t elaborate on what he wanted, but it doesn’t appear to be good news. We best hurry before he sends himself into a tizzy. We all know that would not be a good way to start summer vacation.”

_ Headmaster’s Office: _

Albus was looking at the lake out his window when Minerva, Severus and Remus arrived. Irma was already seated with her cup of tea looking exceedingly nervous. Albus turned as they came in and moved to join them. After tea was passed around to the others and biscuits served, Albus took a deep breath and let out before beginning.

“I have received the official notice from Kingsley…Minister Shacklebolt. The date has been set for Ronald Weasley’s trial. It will be a closed session in front of the Wizengamot and not made noticed to the public. They have requested that Severus be present as he was the one that extracted the memories. They have requested that we keep the people being brought in to a bare minimum. Only those that need to be there will be permitted in the courtroom. They will allow Hermione’s parents to be present, but no one else. I am still fighting with them for Remus to be allowed in, but as of right now they have not given me an answer to that request. Kingsley is fighting vehemently for Remus saying that as Hermione’s other soul mate to leave him out of the proceedings would be totally unacceptable. The threat is toward the three of you not just Hermione. We shall see what the final decision will be. I can tell you I am not happy with the developments and I am concerned with the outcome. I have already explained to them that under no circumstances will Ronald be allowed back at Hogwarts if they choose not to persecute him.”

Albus shook his head as if trying to clear it.

Remus spoke up, “Are you saying that they could seriously be considering not holding him responsible for what he was planning to do to Hermione. In the wizarding world, the thought of intent is just as dangerous as the actual physical action of doing it. The little bastard was planning to do horrid, unthinkable things to her and they are thinking of letting him back out into society with a slap on the hand and oh, please don’t think up evil things to do to her again.” Remus face was turning red with anger.

“I know Remus…I know!” Albus said. “Kingsley is fighting an uphill battle on this at the moment. Some feel that to condemn him for only thinking of doing those vile acts are not the same as actually doing them. There are some that feel he deserves another chance. I do not agree and will continue to make my feelings on the matter quite clear. I’m afraid at this time the majority feel that a twelve year old child shouldn’t be sentenced to a life in solicitude just because he ‘thought’ to do harm to another. If needed I will remind them just what that thinking got them with one, Tom Riddle. Maybe they need to be reminded of what kind of evil dwelled in him when he was but a young boy of twelve. I am not averse to pulling rank on the whole lot of them. I would like nothing more to see Ronald get the help he needs and become a productive member of society…in time. Not at this time! He has some serious issues that need to be dealt with and just because some of them feel we shouldn’t condemn him, I believe that is exactly what needs to be done and I for one will not stand around and let some pompous, snot nose, I think I’m better than all of you idiots bring down our world again. Mark my words, Remus and Severus I will fight this until the very end. I am not without my own means, and you both know that I value not only your friendship, but also your own sacrifices that you made to bring down Voldemort. Ronald is as much a threat to our world as Voldemort was and I won’t stand idly by and let it happen again. I will give them an image that will hopefully make them see reason. If nothing else at least put Ronald in the strong ward at Mungo’s with a mind healer and bind him so he can't do any magic. Personally, I don’t think the boy can be turned back to the side of light, but neither do I truly wish to condemn him without at least an effort to try and bring him back. As we all know…one must want to change in order for true change to happen.”

Albus looked over to Severus who had gone completely still. Severus’ eyes had gone to the darkest black that Albus had ever seen them, telling the headmaster that Severus was using his occlumency to push his emotions back down into the deepest part of him so that he could logically look at things instead of what Albus was sure were very, very strong emotions.

“Headmaster” Severus spoke with a chilling tone that sent chills through everyone in the room. “IF…and I do mean if…these idiot imbeciles decide to let him go free…I…will…not…be…responsible for what I do to him if he threatens our wife. He will not see me coming and he’ll be gone before anyone can count to two. Do I make myself clear? And here I thought I only taught idiotic dunderheads here at Hogwarts. How sad that they have spread out into the wizarding world and into an organization that is responsible for keeping evil off the streets.”

Albus starred at Severus and nodded his head, “I don’t like it any more than any of you do. I feel as if they have inadvertently tied our hands to make us powerless, but we know that is not the case. If I have to bring out my secret weapon, then so be it. It may show me in a less positive light for a bit, but if they want to see the pure, destructive power of a twelve year old boy that turned into the most evil wizard our world has ever seen, then I will do it. There is no way that I will let them set Ronald Weasley free. If they do…let’s just say you won’t have to be the one to take him out. I’m old…powerful…what are they going to do to me. Nothing…because no one will know how it happened. Ronald…will…just…disappear.”

They all sat there for a short time…each lost in their own thoughts on how messed up their world was turning out to be.

“This is why it’s taken so long to bring him to trial, isn’t it?” Minerva asked.

Albus nodded his head whispering a quiet, “Yes…”

“Did they honestly think we would just lay down and let them release him without a fight?” Irma was getting angry now.

“I think they thought they could slip it through without us being aware of what they were really up too. Kingsley and Alastor don’t really know where the problem is, but they are now looking for the leak. Someone thought to get to members of the Wizengamot before the primary evidence was given. It’s made things harder, but not impossible. Kingsley is on our side as is Alastor and we all know Alastor won’t let anything go down without putting his two cents worth in. That can play to our favor, but as I said. I have a secret weapon that will leave them with no doubt that a twelve year boy can think up incredible evil and then do it if he is not dealt with in the very beginning. Trust me when I say no one wants to see another Tom Riddle at least not in our lifetimes. Be at peace, my dear friends. We may have almost lost this one battle, but we will not lose the war.”

Remus and Severus were both struggling to not go hex someone at the ministry.

“Do they have any idea who could be trying to sabotage this?” Remus growled.

“They believe that it is coming from a disgusting pink toad named Deloris Umbridge. Kingsley says she’s had a vendetta against him from the moment he took over for Fudge. She keeps trying to undermine everything he does. They are keeping their cards close to their chests, but Kings said they are close to having enough evidence to give her a permanent home in Azkaban. Let’s hope they get rid of her before the trial which is in two weeks.”

“She is an awful woman. Someone should have gotten rid of her long before now.” Irma said.

Albus chuckled, “I’m sure Kingsley agrees with your view point completely, Irma. Until now no one has been able to touch her. Something has changed in the last few weeks and suddenly people have been more willing to talk and tell others about Deloris’ not so subtle threats. It will be interesting to see just what piece of evidence takes her down. Kings is certain that if the rest of the pieces fall into place that she will be in her new home in less than a week.”

“They must have quite a bit of evidence against her to be almost ready to take her down. She is a horrid woman and it couldn’t happen to a nicer toad...ah I mean person.” Minerva added.

Severus and Remus glanced at each other, “So, two weeks. Is there anything we need to do, Albus?” Severus asked.

“Not at this time. You both need to keep Hermione calm. If she is calm and at peace than you both will be, too. I know it’s very hard to keep things from her, but try not to let her know too much about the issues we are having right now. It will cause her unneeded worry. If she asks…tell her as much of the truth as you feel you need to, but also let her know that there is no way that I, Kingsley or Alastor will let him walk free out of the courtroom. You may also let her know that the two of you won’t either. One way or the other Ronald Weasley will not see the light of day. You have my word on that one. I have taken the initiative to fill in Lucius and James of the situation. They as you can imagine had the same thoughts that the rest of us have had. Serious matters require serious consequences. We stand behind both of you, Severus and Remus and of course our main concern is Hermione. We will not let anything happen to her. This I swear to you.”

“Thank you, Albus. I know I speak for Severus as well in saying that we both are very grateful not only for your understanding in this matter, but for your friendship and support. We could not win this battle without you. We will abide by your decision, just keep us informed as to what is happening.”

“Have you told Jean, Robin and Roland what is going on, yet?” Severus asked.

“Kingsley and Alastor paid a visit to the Grangers a few days ago and caught them up on the developments and also gave them their official letter in person. They are prepared and Jean informed them that they would share the information with Susan, John and Scott as they would all be heading to Mitchell Manor in two weeks. I know the trial is set for the day after you all will arrive at the Manor. The timing is somewhat suspicious even though I know the children have probably been talking about their trip for months now. It still seems awfully convenient that it is happening the day after your arrival there.” Albus relayed. “Keep your eyes and ears open. Even something small and insufficient could be something much larger than it looks. Like the biggest part of an iceberg is always the part that is under the water.”

“Even as small as a hooded figure getting on board the Hogwarts Express?” Severus asked.

Albus eyebrows raised at that. “What happened?”

Remus ran his hands through his hair, “We didn’t really think anything of it and I’ll add we both believe that it is not a threat…yet. When we were heading away from the station we both felt a push from our bond to turn around. The moment we turned we spotted a hooded figure boarding the Hogwarts Express.”

Severus continued, “I started toward the train when Remus pulled me back. It was then that I recognized the peace that our bond brings to us. We both believe that our bond only want us to see the figure at this time, not pursue it. A little while later we felt Hermione through our bond letting us know she was safe and she was at peace.”

“We thought to test our bond so to speak.” Remus added. “So we each focused on telling Hermione to turn around. At this time we don’t know if she did. We’ll have to wait until we get to the Grangers tonight after we finish the list of what you want us to do to find out if she felt it. Jean and Susan are both convinced that the bond is changing. They have noticed a difference in their bonds as well. Only time will tell what this actually means. It is one of the reasons we are spending the summer at Mitchell Manor. We will be sure to add you, Kingsley and Alastor to the wards at the Manor as it sounds as if you three may be spending some time out there with us as well. One good thing is that we will not be where we normally are this summer and therefore we will be harder to find. That may work to our advantage if there is a threat over the summer.”

Albus nodded his head, “Yes…yes that will be a good place to start. Alright you are all updated and free to go. We will speak again in a week or sooner if needed. Once all of you are settled in at Mitchell Manor it may be best to schedule our meetings out there and away from prying eyes. Until then, when there are new developments I will let you know. Stay on your toes and report anything out of the ordinary, even if it is something you would consider insignificant. We can’t take any chances. Oh and make sure you leave early enough to get to the Grangers this afternoon before the children arrive. I am curious to know if Hermione did indeed receive your message to turn around. It will be very interesting if she did…yes…interesting, indeed. Take some time in the morning and then come finish up so you are free for the rest of the summer.”

With that the four left the headmaster’s office.

Once they turned the corner, Minerva turned and put her hands on Severus and Remus’ arms, “Hang on to your faith boys and don’t let go. I know this seems like it could blow up in our faces, but I believe it won’t. No one wants a repeat of Voldemort and even though Albus didn’t come out and directly say it, he knows now that he should have stepped in and stopped Tom before he became the monster he did and almost took down the whole wizarding world with him. Albus will not make that mistake again. You can trust on that. I’ll see you both in the morning and we can discuss anything you need from me before I arrive at Mitchell Manor.”

Irma then pulled both boys into a hug. “My sons, I am so very proud of you on how you handled yourselves in there. That was not an easy conversation to sit through. Now…I need both of you to clear your heads and think of what books you may think we will need this summer. It’s not like I can’t floo back to pick more up, but let’s get a list of what you think we may need ahead of time. I am confident that we will come out on top. I love you, both so very much.” With that Irma gave Severus and Remus a kiss on their cheeks. They both in turn gave Irma a much needed hug. Minerva and Irma parted ways with the boys and headed toward the library.

“Well…let’s get busy." Remus said in a hurry. "If I figured it right we have about four hours before the train hits the station. If we get done sooner we could always meet up with the Grangers and go to the station with them to pick up Hermione and the boys.”

Severus and Remus quickly moved off down the corridor to get things done as fast as they could. The excitement of meeting Hermione at the station their new motivation to get their list done as soon as possible.


End file.
